Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren, the Dutch duo behind the Viktor and Rolf fashion house, brought back to life 25 of their iconic designs in their latest couture show, a celebration of a quarter century together.
Viktor & Rolf designed their Haute Couture Autumn/Winter 2018 line as a “collection of memories”, calling it the Immaculate collection. The show took place in Paris, at Le Trianon theater, as part of Paris Haute Couture fashion week.
The designers selected 25 iconic fashion pieces from the past 25 years and gave them a new look, in order to create an entirely white collection, embedded with Swarovski crystals.
“The approach, a typical Viktor & Rolf antithesis speaks to the designer’s personal fascination with time: consciously cherishing the past, yet always looking forward and pushing the boundaries of transformation,” said Viktor & Rolf.
The show opened with a redesigned version of a garment from the duo’s Blacklight Spring collection in 1999. The statement piece features an oversized, ruffled neckpiece.
Following this was the well-known “no” trench coat, which the duo debuted in their 2008 Fall ready-to-wear collection.
“We love fashion, but it’s going so fast,” said Viktor & Rolf about the range. “We wanted to say ‘No’ this season.”
This time, the garment was made with 3D letters, emblazoned on a white trench coat, outlined with Swarovski crystals.
The designers also revisited a more unconventional show from 2005, which featured a succession of models walk the catwalk with satin pillows and cushions attached to their heads to create the effect that they were lying flat when stood up.
The collection is doubled by a special exhibition, currently being held at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam, which was created in collaboration with Canadian curator Thierry-Maxime Loriot.
The exhibition, which is open until 30 September 2018, is designed as a timeline of Viktor & Rolf’s work from the past quarter century.
