With his latest collection Robert Geller has really stepped out on his own. Much admired for his work at the influential cult label Cloak, the designer is carving out new territory and exploring a mix between downtown rocker cool and uptown sophistication.

The show opened with a duo of fair-isle knits, and was soon followed by Geller’s signature striped suiting in rich shades of azure and plum. A model outfitted in a sleek black leather jacket paired with dusty blue lounge pants was accessorized with a thick distressed wool scarf and a bowler hat perched on top of his head. The hats and suede boots were done in collaboration with Common Projects.

Other looks included dramatic wool capes, black shredded denim, leather “puffy” jackets, and a black and denim blazer paired with an indigo tuxedo jean: a new take on the Canadian tuxedo. Wide legged shorts in the vein of Yohji Yamamoto and luxurious fur vests and scarves were also a fun surprise. And that’s what Geller does best– he’s a dedicated designer who just wants to have fun.

Dazed Digital: Congratulations! How are you feeling?
Robert Geller: I’m feeling really good, I’m exhausted but I’m happy. I’m ready to have a good time. I feel relieved– I guess that’s the best way to describe it.

DD: What was the inspiration behind this collection?
Robert Geller: I really wanted to marry upscale, uptown luxury with an indie rocker vibe. There’s a little bit of arrogance, but in the end it’s really cool because it’s such a nice mix of the downtown guy playing with the elements of old school suiting.

DD: I really liked all of the fur that you used.
Robert Geller: Actually it was all goats’ wool– there are apparently hundreds of different kinds of goats. The ones we used were Japanese mountain goats.

DD: How do you feel your collection has evolved from its inception?
Robert Geller: I think in the last three or four seasons it’s become much clearer of what I am on my own. It’s also me stepping away from Cloak, which is something that exists already; I didn’t want to do that again. It’s becoming much clearer in my head about what the Robert Geller brand is, and who the customer is. You have an idea, but you don’t really know until you see people wearing the clothes.

DD: Music is really important to you, how do you decide on the music for the shows? Tonight you used a song by Denim, a rock band from the 70s.’
Robert Geller: We work with Scott Mou– he’s an old friend of mine. We’ve been working together since way back. We sit together and I explain to him what the collection is about and then we talk about music and put together a playlist.

DD: You attended Rhode Island School of Design, but what first influenced you to want to become part of the fashion industry?
Robert Geller: It was the Belgians, it really was. It was the old Raf Simons back in the day– not that he doesn’t make good menswear today– but I really, really loved it back then, that was a big inspiration for me. Also, Ann Demeulemeester and the whole Belgian aesthetic in general. But Yohji Yamamoto and Comme des Garcons too.