Matthew Adams Dolan is arguably one of new New York’s brightest design talents. His signature oversized denim and deconstructed sportswear isn’t just making Rih-Rih go mad, and Gaga go, well, Gaga; he has an ever-growing list of the coolest boutiques and department stores clamoring to add his name to their brand list (Selfridges, Opening Ceremony, and stores across Asia among them). This season, Matthew forwent a traditional runway show to trail blaze something a little different. Together with his long-time creative team (which includes photographer Michael Hauptman and stylist Sasha Kelly), he journeyed to Modoc, South Carolina, to street cast a troupe of kids to showcase his spring/summer 17 collection.
“The denim we use is all manufactured in the South, so that was the main reason for shooting in Modoc,” Matthew explains. “We also wanted to shoot on people from the area which is why we street cast; shooting on video it was important to me to record interactions with people who knew each other, that didn’t feel forced or like they were acting.” The result was an eerie and lo-fi look into America’s youth, reminiscent of a 2016 remake of Harmony Korine’s Gummo — a world where his lemon-hued and bleached denim pieces feel right at home. When asked what the thinking was behind the film and accompanying zine was, Dolan explained: “the past two seasons were shot in a studio and this season was very much about a constructed version of reality in terms of the set and how it was photographed, so we wanted to do something that felt much more real and honest.”
Watch the film and check out images from the accompanying zine below.
Credits
Text Lynette Nylander