Houston, We Have Off-White™ FW23
Ib Kamara, announced as Off-White™'s new creative director nearly one year ago, finally made his proper debut on March 2 during Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2023, debuting a collection inspired by space-age Afrofuturism. The resulting designs emphasized high-tech bric-a-brac without forgoing the Off-White™ codes established by house founder Virgil Abloh.
"Lunar Delivery," Off-White™'s FW23 collection, was a strong debut for Kamara: new creative directors always have to balance the legacy of the designer who came before them while displaying enough design acumen to make an impact.
The prior Off-White™ collection, Spring/Summer 2023, was a transitionary period for the house, one that Kamara directed but was mostly designed by the in-house team, so Kamara had free reign to go all in on adventurousness (while maintaining that delicate balance, of course) with FW23.
"There could only ever be one Virgil," Kamara said in the show notes. "He was constantly innovating and thinking ahead and he left us a brand that can reinvent itself, grow and stand the test of time. I feel the responsibility for him and for everyone who has worked, loved, worn and believed in Off-White™.
"This collection marks the beginning of a new path... Working on this collection, I found myself and my point of view in a universe that is true to me. It’s punk, sexy, romantic and inspired by our modern lives."
Amidst familiar Off-White™ flair — graphic tire tread prints, chunky basketball-inspired sneakers — Kamara's vision established ornate finery as a new motif.
Little black dresses, rivet-studded fur coats, deep-dyed blazers, and striped suits ushered Off-White™ into a new era of finery-focused fashion.
Gone are the quintessentially Off-White™ hoodies and washed-out jeans: in their place, scarred mohair sweaters and skirts.
In fairness, Off-White™ might've shunned the "streetwear" label in years past but the fashion brand will never not be tied to the kids who continue to view it as a purveyor of graphic layering pieces.
Off-White™ will obviously never not make that stuff.
Instead, its runway shows are demonstrative of the house's overarching aesthetic approach while the more commercial Off-White™ bits are simply evergreen staples offered every season for everyone.
As mentioned earlier, though, it's not all newness, necessarily.
For instance, Kamara's debut rebirthed classic Off-White™ elements, giving familiar cues a contemporary facelift.
Off-White™'s signature varsity jackets, for instance, were elevated with metal applique appropriate for "Lunar Delivery"s spacey aesthetic. Meanwhile, its quintessentially off-kilter sunglasses became warped alien pupils, bug-eyed shades that allow one to stare directly through the bright future.
