Photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott are among the industry’s favorite fashion photographers. Known collectively as Mert & Marcus, their photos have been featured in various magazines and at least three editions of Vogue, and they have worked repeatedly with top tier clients such as Dior and Louis Vuitton. The couple has also been considered pioneers in the field, especially in digital manipulation. Most recently, they have been honored by the British Fashion Council with the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator—a distinction previously bestowed to Nick Knight and Pat McGrath—for their unique manner of photographing youth and glamour.
It seems, though, that Alas’ and Piggott’s talents are not limited by their cameras and equipment—they can take charge in another significant side of the industry, too. This year gives us their first venture into fashion design, made possible through their collaboration with fashion house Dsquared2. Headed by Canadian twins Dean and Dan Caten, Dsquared2 has partnered with Mert & Marcus to bring the capsule collection Mert and Marcus 1994 x Dsquared2. The foursome have been friends since meeting on the campaign shoot for the fashion house’s AW05 collection and have worked together in succeeding seasons, although they did not instantly realize the possibility of creating a capsule together until years later.
Basing off on the name alone, one can immediately assume that this limited edition capsule will bring us back to at least two decades earlier. The assumption is not off-base at all, as the collection takes after the underground culture of the Nineties. It may be banking on the industry’s tendency to go to the past for inspiration, but the collaborators’ knowledge of the scene—in particular, that of the hip and progressive Berlin scene—makes it more than just a trendy collection. The decade is also very important to both Dsquared2 and Mert & Marcus; the year 1994 was singled out because it marked the first fashion show for Dsquared2. The Mert & Marcus connection is more personal: it was the year that Alas and Piggott met.
The era that inspires the collection may be more laid back than the decades that came before it, but the collaboration has more than its enough share of eye-catching pieces. Created with the intention of having something for both sexes, the capsule collection’s pieces are bold, vibrant, and edgy, thanks to its streetwear aesthetic. The collaborators assume that the cool kids would not hesitate to wear the garments and would take the lead in donning them on, a variety that consists of bomber jackets, boiler suits, and overalls, among others. The boxy tailoring is made more impressive by the meticulous work done with the fabric to achieve paper- and rubber-like appearances.
Even though Mert & Marcus’ designs take the spotlight in the collection, it would be a missed opportunity not to use the couple’s photographs. The collaboration is accompanied by the duo’s archived photographs, allowing the project to showcase their iconic works. The throwback shows some familiar faces in it—Kate Moss, indubitably one of the decade’s top supermodels, has been spotted on the set. It is also a style inspiration for today’s fashionistas.
We’ll have to wait a while before the collection is released; the official launch is scheduled in February 2019. The team-up will be available in both online and brick and mortar retailers, giving us more options in copping the pieces.
Image credits: Mert & Marcus, Getty Images, Gisela Schober, David M. Benett
