Despite burnout, Ervin Latimer is flexing his design muscles this season
To call Latimmier’s second Copenhagen outing tightly-edited might be an understatement. Consisting of just 11 looks, the collection had nary a stitch or line that was unconsidered. To make matters more unusual, nearly every detail was realised by the hand of Finnish designer Ervin Latimer himself. “I spent a lot of this fall trying to take time for myself and trying to make sure that I have the energy I need to keep going,” he says. “That kind of made me realise that even if we’re at the beginning, maybe we need to slow down a bit and really focus on the craftsmanship.”
But before the looks – all 11 of them – came out, Latimer took the mic at the intimate venue, the Finnish Cultural Institute. He’s been suffering from burnout, he explains, and wasn’t even certain this show would happen. In many ways, this quiet and considered collection is a rediscovery of his original purpose. Latimer really “rolled up his sleeves” and began making patterns, sewing samples and crocheting by hand. “It’s almost like a disease,” he says. “No matter how tired I am, once I get to actually physically do things, I have all the energy in the world.”
Building upon the brand’s primary vision of challenging the notion of performative gender – the relaxed, deconstructed tailoring, realised in so-called masculine fabrics like wool and leather – Latimmier really flexes its design chops. The sweeping coat, with detachable collar and contrast stitching, the buttery cobalt blue trousers fashioned from Finnish reindeer leather, the pinstripe trouser skirt… each garment is worthy of a moment. And it was given one: Latimer introduced each look himself, meticulously describing process and material.
The portrait motifs – printed on a pleated skirt and flat across a three-piece suit – are courtesy of Swiss-Haitian artist Sasha Huber, who, like Latimer, is based in Finland. These are process-based works, the sweeping lines a fitting reflection of the careful realisation of the garments themselves. Huber even sent Latimer her playlist, the same one she listened to while painting the works, in order for him to listen to as he busied himself cutting and sewing. “This is the most samples I’ve ever made physically, and I’m quite proud that I can do that,” says the designer.
There wasn’t a guest that wasn’t touched by the intimacy of the presentation, which allowed a magnified view of the designer’s prowess. “If you reach out a little bit, you can almost touch,” Latimer says.
See the full collection below:
Latimmier - AW23
