"Like history, fashion repeats itself, and one day you wake up and realise you are tired of everything you liked until the day before and yearn for something different.
It hits you almost like a Eureka moment.
SS23 for me started like that just after I listened to “Do you have Friends in your Dreams” by LA band VNP. The awkwardness, softness, youth, nostalgia and naivety of the tune became the main theme”.
The Aries SS23 collection is presented in a series of imagery and a short film shot by long term collaborators David Sims, Douglas Irvine and film-maker Dario Vigorito.
The collection is inspired by “Taking Off”, an almost forgotten yet genius film by Miloš Forman which follows the story of a suburban NYC couple’s search for their runaway teenage daughter, and the tragicomic results of their shattering bourgeois assumptions regarding teenage life, identity and values.
As in the opening sequence of Taking Off, Aries SS23 starts with a song.
Contextualised in the world of Aries, the characters and looks can be found across 5 chapters dedicated to 5 different archetypes: The Camden Punk, The 90’s Casual, The Teenage Romantic, The Cultist and The Trust Fund Baby.
The collection plays with these archetypes and challenges stereotypes and assumptions of what we think we know.
THE CAMDEN PUNK
Denim in skate shapes and treatments recall teen mall goth and skate subcultures. Aries core denim offering employs a nuanced and patchy acid wash, overdyed in dirty peach reminiscent of the late 90’s. The Made in Italy logo and placement is a sophisticated nod to the provenance of the garments with a re-release of the women’s wide-leg silhouette as well as the signature Batten jean unisex loose fit 90’s jean.
Aries cotton twill cargo styles in seasonal colourations are now a signature part of the Aries language. The crackle camo repeats in a darker shade with a pop of red in the baggy fit walking trouser. Womenswear icon pieces have been introduced into this category in the form of a cargo bra and toolbelt skirt.
Mesh moto tops feature trashy ram logos and hoodies are printed with tattoo inspired artwork, a crown of thorns around the hood and love and hate scribbled on the cuffs. A Rottweiler graphic runs through the collection on camo inspired tie-dye jersey and a camo jacquard knitted jacket.
THE 90’S CASUAL & TEENAGE ROMANTIC
The archetypes of the “high school jock” and “prom queen” take on a dreamy ice cream colour palette with a pastel reimagining of our Varsity Jacket and oxford striped shirting, as well as raw edged, creased and overdyed silk bias dresses and gathered miniskirts suggesting a more subversive twist on the teenage dream.
The 90s casual includes a workwear silhouette, seen across military surplus inspired shirts in khaki and black, featuring the mini “No Problemo” graphic.
THE CULTIST
Bizarre and otherworldly figures wearing laurel wreaths, carabiner crowns and newspaper ruffs create a dimension of oddness tinged with classical and religious references.
An original Aries cult classic all-over newsprint about Ozzy Osbourne’s hidden suicide messaging in his track “Suicide Solution” is reissued from the archive vault on Aries Lilly denim and recognised Aries shirting. The iconic Aries archival “boobs” print also sees a return on a classic tee and racer- back vest.
THE TRUST FUND BABY
Aries riffs on luxury codes to play with the archetype of a teen shopaholic. Refined and solidified tailoring language to repeat gold charm details and gold and black logo zips across mix and match suiting styles: a single breasted two button suit jacket with baggy slacker pant in half black and navy and the introduction of a shrunken womenswear suit jacket and skirt and a slimmer unisex trouser in black.
Custom logo stretch lace is overdyed in acid brights and worn skin-tight as bodies and vests, overlaid with beautifully made Italian leather goods in deep green with silver and gold carabiner clasps and chains.
Unisex silk pyjamas in a richly coloured scarf print with an aged effect; the brands reinterpretation of a classic luxury product in a poppy Aries colour palette and reissued archive Aries print. All framed by shameless bootlegs of luxury logos such as “J’Adoro Aries” and a red boxed “No Problemo”.
