Parisian brand 1/OFF made its first appearance on the Amsterdam Fashion Week schedule. The brand grounded in the upcycling movement uses a one-of-a-kind approach, merging identities of a myriad of high-end design houses into its own unique brand identity. Its raw character brought us to a warehouse in Amsterdam Noord, a location highly suited for the most promising fashion newcomer of this year.
“Otherworld is a place where fashion items are no longer disposable, but part of an eternal cycle of inspiration. By rethinking classics into contemporary design, we invite you to break free from the conventional, face the strange and wake up to a new reality.” – 1/OFF
A traditional catwalk with a not so traditional sound, the 1/OFF show was split up into four themes with each its own look, feel and music. A flock of denim ensembles strutted over the catwalk. A long ankle-length denim skirt with a glossy finish has a belt bag attached to its side, and is paired with a long sleeve pastel mesh top with 1/OFF branding scattered across the fabric. Another denim look was treated with a pearly finish. Most impressive was the long denim patchwork dress that swept over the floor, and the multiple chaps-like denim scraps wrapped around the models’ legs with denim laces. The denim outfits make room for a new set of looks that give off a more innocent tone. When the music shifts to a feminine rather peaceful sound, looks of white lace cut-out pieces are made out of recycled tablecloths. A ruched lilac top with asymmetrical hem gets paired with wide leg cotton trousers, the same cotton fabric was sown into a deep v-neck top with long fringes and paired with floral lilac leggings. A soulful guitar fills the space, and slowly transitions to a tropical sound. Looks described by the designer as Scarf Couture fill the room. Ruched and gathered detailing wrap the hip part of a skirt entirely made of scarfs. Colourful scarf halter tops get heightened to a new level when a long halter neck dress with scarf trail flows over the catwalk. Accessories were created through collaborative effort. As part of the ‘Hot Summer Night out’ theme, the models carry vodka bottles wrapped in 1/OFF scarfs that were specifically made in the colours of the Belvedere infusion vodka. The music shifts once again to a more sophisticated classical sound and slowly gets distorted, transcending an eerie darker mood. “Shape Shifters”, the last chapter of Otherworld, contains business looks with more rigid shapes matching the sharp sounds of the music. The rigidness is balanced out with lower necklines, thin straps and flowy cotton blouses. A look that jumps out is an oversized blazer with exaggerated shoulders in a muted beige-green, and contains ruching in the waste. Tonight, we saw a complete universe of looks composed, matched, and mismatched but with a sense of unity at its core. A perfect extract of what 1/OFF’s brand identity stands for; a glimpse into the young designer’s perspective.
