Kris Van Assche started off his A/W 09 show with a strong message. Against an image by one of his favourite photographers, Sarah Moon, he sent out a model clad in white bodysuit and black hooded shawl. This eventually gave way to a collection that was inspired by travels through South America, and the traditional garb of that continent. A sense of romance is never far away from Van Assche’s vision and he retains an old-fashioned view of man today. There was also a sense of ease about proceedings with the softened jackets, loose oversized layers, dangling chains and laces undone on the boots. Dazed Digital caught up with the designer backstage.

Dazed Digital: I got a sense of nomadism with this collection
Kris Van Assche: It’s the man on the road. It’s the image of Sarah Moon that I used in front of the show. For me, it’s like travelling. Doing the collection, it is like travelling. I try to find new ways to interpret my view of fashion.

DD: It seemed like quite a heroic view of masculinity
KVA: Yes. For me, the story was that a poet soldier.

DD: Tell us about the silhouette. It seemed quite interesting, with the elongation of the line
KVA: I wanted to use this idea of layers. I’ve been to Peru where the fashion is about wearing seven shirts. For me it was about covering up, keeping warm but without the restraint. Like making  jacket without the structure or wearing a structured jacket with a long shirt to give some fluidity to it, to make sure that it doesn’t look too serious or too historical.

DD: How do you separate designing for Dior Homme and designing your own line?
KVA: There’s a big difference between the two statements. The longer I do it, the more the difference becomes clear in my head. I also have teams on both sides so they allow me to stay alive!

DD: Is designing your own line more autobiographical then?
KVA: For me, yes. Designing for Dior I obviously have to reinterpret the legacy of the house. At my own label, it’s more about what I want to wear myself everyday.