Hedi Slimane, the designer responsible for the skinny jean’s chokehold on 2010s fashion, has taken a screeching, petrol spluttering U-turn. Yesterday, on the outskirts of Saint Tropez, Slimane swapped out his signature drainpipe denim for half-pipes and motocross stuntmen, as he debuted his latest Celine menswear collection, Cosmic Cruiser.
The cigarette-like silhouettes the designer cut during his tenure at Dior Homme, Yves Saint Laurent, and latterly, Celine itself, were nowhere to be seen. While Slimane has been experimenting with slightly wider styles, this season, models were instead swallowed up by XXL raw-hemmed church bell jeans, motorcycle jackets, and droopy, layered knitwear. As motorbikes leapt through the air around them, Slimane’s troupe pounded the circuit in studded dog collars, sequined bombers, and reflective glasses.
From leather vests, to fuzzy cardigans, and swooping capes, the collection was festooned with spangled embellishment – think sparkling zebra print blazers, tinsel-sloganed jackets, and psychedelic, studded waistcoats. But this wasn’t a complete departure from Slimane’s signature aesthetic. Nimble leather trousers, shaggy mullets, and a dose of LA shamanism – i.e. sequined, sunset kaftans – were all present throughout.
Although billowing bottom halves were new territory for Slimane, 00s rave jeans have slowly been building momentum this year. Lest we forget Marc Jacobs’ short-lived mall goth phase. Jonathan Anderson, Virgil Abloh, and Riccardo Tisci have also been flirting with the hedonism of rave culture for SS22. Only Slimane’s collection seems to tunnel in on those would-be raves’ first time attendees. Compounding the designer’s dogged obsession with youth, SS22 continued to forge a direct line to TikTok’s teenagers – seen in crocheted bucket hats, tie-dye faux fur coats, and sagging hoodies – its credo being to represent “the restless dreams of a cosmic teen”.