At Pitti Uomo, Ann Demeulemeester tells the stories behind the looks that define her career in fashion
Self sufficiency, not to mention restraint, are underrated values in fashion and in the wider world where emotionality and extroverted expression are rampant. An exhibition of Ann Demuelemeester’s work at Pitti Uomo offers an alternative approach that is more interior and quiet, yet powerful. This 24-hour retrospective installation marks the 40th anniversary of the label.
last year. This was no hostile takeover; the pair are old friends and Antonioli has invited Demeulemeester to be part of the next iteration of the brand she founded in 1981.Just what her involvement is has been the subject of much speculation. “I don’t design the clothes anymore, I don’t work with them every day,” Demeulemeester clarified. “[Like] children, you have to let them go and you have to let them be free to find their way. I’m there, I’m not there.
This sense of flow or fluidity extends to Demeulemeester’s approach to gender. To label her designs androgynous is to overlook the designer’s nuanced approach, which predates the current dialogue on the subject. “I was interested in the tension between masculine and feminine, but also the tension between masculine and feminine within one person, that is what makes every person really interesting to me because everybody is unique,” she said.