Belgian Couturier NATAN adorns the Amsterdam Fashion Week schedule for the fourth time. This 2022 Edition last in its turn, the designer merges the digital with the physical in a show that embodies the modernisation of couture tailoring.
In a space where marble and glass alternate each other, high ceilings impose a grandeur corresponding with what only is expected of NATAN; a refined presentation of craftsmanship, perfected down to the last detail. Classical piano music travels up to the highest point of room, the first looks reveal itself.
In a digitised world, NATAN aims to bring poetry to our modern age with his Spring/Summer 2023 collection. Connecting the physical and virtual spheres, the collection encompasses the strengths of both nature and technology. Inspired by painters such as Ross Bleckner and Gerhard Richter, NATAN developed his own faded flowers, over-pixelated patterns and transformed traditional motifs into modern art-like creations. A floor-length gown with gathered round neck has a digital flower print cleverly distributed across the sturdy white fabric. Loose elements of red, blue and yellow depict an abstract image of nature vs technology. Tops with textures resonant of moss, broches that look like coated reed gathered in a flowerlike composition and large organically shaped earrings in lilac and white mimic natural elements in a digitalised environment.
For ‘Digitalised Couture’, NATAN used a mix of natural and technical fabrics and played sturdy materials against airy ones. A deep burgundy mini-skirt is coated with a shiny film, glistening when the light hits the fabric, and combined with a cotton button-up. Long silk organza blouses are fastened with a single button, revealing tailored black pants underneath. Asymmetric shoulders and hems add a renewing factor to classic silhouettes, as do the braided ribbons used to make clutches and skirts. The contrasting brights and neutrals in his colour pallet: lavender, soft pink and fresh mint, neons and earthy tones remind us of his previous work and is one of the elements NATAN uses to reinterpret minimalism as daring and surprising. Seeing the looks walk the catwalk one after the other, the designer’s vision on everything couture can entail sinks in. We couldn’t have had a more perfect closure of Amsterdam Fashion Week.
