ROBERT GELLER
AW 2019
ROBERT GELLER AW 2019: Mountain climbing to the moon.
It all began with a technical challenge, in this case to garment dye pieces that are constructed with varying fabrics which aren’t meant to be dyed together, because they need different techniques to take the color. For his AW19 collection, Robert Geller worked with his Japanese team to find ways to do what is almost impossible: Dye Wool, Nylon and cotton in one garment. The results are stunning garments with beautifully subtle color nuances and rich textures.
Robert looked at mountain climbers of Tibet, wearing layered wool garments, to keep them warm and safe on their expeditions. He has a keen interest in the functionality of fabrics, natural and man-made.
Introducing his collaboration with lululemon, Robert is excited to launch “Take the Moment” – a 12-piece collection co-created with Ben Stubbington, lululemon’s SVP of Men’s Design. The collection is a translation of Geller’s mantra and inspiration of taking action in the moment, exploring his life over a 96-hour period. Built to transition seamlessly from sport to street, the collection celebrates the marriage of function, performance, and style.
The Robert Geller x lululemon looks are 11-17 and can be distinguished by the purple line on the headgear. Other collaboration pieces can be seen in combination with the main line looks on models 1, 3, 19 and 20.
The notion of climbing mountains can also be understood as a metaphor for life’s trials and achievements, which eventually lead the designer to the metaphorical idea that if we could climb ever higher, we would eventually reach the moon.
When Robert Geller then became aware that this year was also the 50 year anniversary of the moon landing, the mountaineer began to morph into an astronaut, blending the mountain gear and its woolen layers with a Bowie take on space travel: Intense bursts of color, like quasi neon fuchsias and neon greens stand in stark contrast against an often grey-ish moon landscape (or that of a rocky mountain), composed of 7 different shades of grey ranging from almost black to green- and blue-gray. The print that embodies the general feel of the collection features pink or light grey full moons on earthy ochre or black shirts and coats.
The space odyssey continues: Hairstylist Chrystoph Marten created cap-like headgear for invisible space helmets, inspired by actual photographs from the original astronauts. In homage to the moon landing Robert Geller designed sweatshirts and t-shirts with the words: I love you to the moon and back.
The new Common Project styles reflect the collections color scheme with their grey and earthy colored hightops, featuring neon laces and tape. http://www.robertgeller-ny.com/ Photography Alexander Thompson.
