The New American Rebel
James Dean, Bart Simpson, Dondi White. The keyword for the OFF-WHITE SS19 collection is “American Rebel”. The title Virgil Abloh chose for the show held during Paris Fashion Week is none other than “JIM STARK”, the iconic character played by James Dean in the 1955 film classic Rebel Without A Cause.
As one could have expected, we saw a lot of workwear during the show, from graphic t-shirts to denim, a clear homage to the uniform made famous by Dean’s bad guy look consisting mainly of white t-shirts and worker jeans. Abloh’s take included denim with different washes and colors, embellishments and different proportions, creating oversize looks that seem to float around the models.
We also saw some pieces that included rebel #2 in our list: the quintessential mischief, Bart Simpson. The beloved character was featured in t-shirts and sweaters. Some recognizable elements from the TV show, such as the Simpson’s house were also featured throughout the collection.
Some days before the show, we learned that the show would channel Rebel #3, American graffiti artist, Dondi White. This New York artist was one of the founding fathers of graffiti art in the 1970s and 1980s and his legacy was highlighted in various pieces from the collection. The name “DONDI” was prominently featured and nods to the artist’s graffiti work appearing on t-shirts and coats.
Remember the transparent polycarbonate carry-on cases from the Rimowa X Off-White Collaboration that were announced some weeks ago? They made their debut during the show along with two sneakers from Abloh’s collaboration with Nike: a tonal grey take on the Air Max 97, and a black version of the Nike Blazer Mid.
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