Conner Ives is a font of noughties knowledge, his expertise spanning everything from a young Lindsay Lohan to the real-life It-girls of his school days in Bedford, New York. In his work, American archetypes are held in relief against his London settings, reappraising the trash-ion icons of yesteryear through his signature cut-and-slash T-shirt dresses, New Age cheugy denim and soccer mom fits. This season, you’re in luck. There’s plenty more cleverly upcycled designs – crafted from pieces sourced straight from Depop, with certain looks available to cop from November on via an exclusive shop on the resale platform — and more pop culture archetypes where that came from.
Continuing to show only once a year, the designer airs SS24 via the ebullient lens of Johnny Dufort, spotlighting sassy TikTok sensation Alex Consani as the collection’s starring face. Alex, a self-proclaimed “Bay Area girl”, has walked for everyone from Versace and Tom Ford to Moschino and Ferragamo, swiftly rising the industry’s ranks, and leading the charge for an upcoming generation of proudly trans models. Aside from broadcasting her interactive, unplanned skits live from the streets of New York to a fanbase of more than a million doting fans, she also remains a key part of the Conner Ives family.
Indeed, Conner and Alex get on like a house on fire, bouncing off one another’s energy and peppering conversations with deliciously camp lingo. Between the “boots”, “ma” and “sis” is a kinship built on werking hard and slaying harder. Last season, Alex closed Conner’s show in a puffball bridal gown, replete with a white, veiled bowler — itself an obscure nod to Disney’s The Parent Trap (1998). The look flooded the fash pack’s collective feed instantly.
As for this new collection, entitled ‘Late Capitalism’, Conner’s savvy approach continues, taking an even craftier root that’s a little bit WAG, a little bit witchy. Thought late capitalism was all about free markets and the world’s impending implosion? Well, it is, but it’s also about the kitschy curios and proliferating girl tribes that come with that. Here, to see in the new collection, Conner and Alex sat down to talk more about the offering, shooting on set and why Alex is just that girl.
How did the two of you first meet?
Alex Consani: Well, the first time was for your show, right?
Conner Ives: Yeah.
Alex: I remember coming in and it was just such a ki. It was you, all the girls. You were so down and, at the afterparty, we got to have a life chat outside.
Conner: Yeah. I love a come-up. I remember when we did AW22, Jacob [K] did our styling, and then went off and did Versace. We saw Alex and it was just that moment. You see someone, maybe in one context, and then they have their Versace moment. I was like “Oh, period.” It’s special to be a part of that in your second or third season — what was it?
Alex: AW22 was my third, I believe, but maths isn’t my strong suit, sis. It was my first with you, which is what matters, ma.
Conner: And you had the moment of all moments. As well, for me, fittings are so exciting because it’s so nice when you have a ki with the girls, but also the girl likes the fashion aspect. I think that’s so visible. You can almost see a bad fitting taking place, and it sucks for everyone because you’re like, “I’m sorry,” you know? When it’s right it’s just so right. The dress went on like a glove; you just pranced around.
Alex: You sent me that video someone took when I put that dress on, and I was like walking around before we even got the fucking photos. It was so nice because, especially in those settings, you’re unable to really express your feelings of excitement. With your team, it’s family. And people say that, but it’s really a family. Everyone was so excited to see it come to fruition.
Conner, what is it about Alex that makes her such an apt embodiment of the Conner Ives world?
Alex: Tell us, girl, tell us.
Conner: It’s an American Dream kind of thing. With me, that whole phrasing and even just the contextualisation of America is always fraught because I’m not a patriot. I’m not saying, “This is my country, I’ll die for it.” But you do have that feeling, especially being over here. It’s nice when you get some reminders of where you’re from. It’s like I do this work in the UK because it’s my means of recontextualising or romanticising it in a way, reframing it so it’s not all doom and gloom. And you did it in three seasons as well. We’re watching the making of a supermodel. I love a girl that knows what she’s doing.
Alex: Thanks, babes. I’m grateful to be a part of your come up as well. You’ve been doing it for a long time, but the ability to do all of this so soon is major.
Conner: It doesn’t feel like a long time, though. I look around, and I’m like, “This is still amateur hour.” We’re very much making the clothes ourselves. People have said to me before that you get this moment maybe five to 10 years in when you blink and are like, “What the fuck just happened?” Do you feel that way as well, or does the whole thing go by, you haven’t slept and then afterwards, you’re like, “Oh, boots.”
Alex: It always gives that, ma. It takes a second to step back and look at what you’re doing. You really have to figure out what your work is worth.
Conner: It also becomes something you’re not doing for the hustle anymore. You’re just doing it for yourself. I think you love fashion and that’s always the best part of it to watch. You can tell a girl that gets her bag, but would much rather be somewhere else. With me, every single show is an out-of-body experience. Anything that comes after – that whole after party, that dinner, everything – I feel 12 feet above.
Alex: She’s AI.
Could you tell us about shooting on set?
Conner: What was nice — even in the shoot — we could turn to you [Alex] and be like, “Alright, you’re this girl.” And you could be that girl. It was just Alex’s fantasy world. You’re really good at doing a character. I could give you one to two sentences and you were off.
Alex: I feel like all of them. The Conner Ives brand resonates with me. If you strip it all down, it’s cunt — that girl that feels like she is that bitch. Like, not to hype myself but I feel like I can do what I need to do. The environment and the energy it emits when we’re creating shows. We were able to just have fun with it. I was asking you for every look, “So, what is this girl? What is that girl?” You were running the fucking answers, you knew exactly what girl was what. It didn’t feel like work — it was such a ki of an experience, literally just sitting and chatting and serving. I want to ask, how did you embody or choose that girl?
Conner: It’s become like social anthropology. We live in weird times, but I admire the amount of people that are willing to create dialogue about these niche things. There was the subway girl from TikTok, which a lot of my friends were talking about for the last few months. And then other things almost become personal obsessions. Even with the bride last season, I always saw that scene and was like, “This is so cunt.” I had this joke with my friend, like I wonder how many people saw that movie and then went out and bought a white top hat. Just little quirks of a lived life. Nothing has to be that deep or literal. I think what’s really nice about the whole process is there’s nuance in it. That dress could also just be hanging in a store and some girl will be like, “Oh my God, that’s such a funny, slutty, cunty dress.” It doesn’t really have to carry meaning. That’s new for me.
Alex: I saw the photos, girl, they’re gag.
Conner: Johnny [Dufort] was fab! Had you worked with Johnny before, Alex?
Alex: Once, yeah.
Conner: I think what was nice about working with Johnny is the collection itself was titled ‘Late Capitalism’. Again, it’s not that deep, but there was some intention there, making the photos feel modern. A lot of times before we’ve shot film with traditional processing. This was a vibe shift. Johnny was a perfect complement to this whole team — a nice addition to the fam, right?
Alex: I agree. Like, I’m not a designer, but having people photograph your work with different image ideas is cool because you get to show the clothing you make in different lights. You can show that the Conner girl is any girl. If she wants to look fab, she’s gonna go to Miss Conner, you know?
Conner: Exactly. When are you getting your collab? When are you designing? I want to see it. I think you could throw down.
Alex: It’s in the works, ma. I need to do some brainstorming. I mean, you know this, girl, you’re the one that does it. You’re the creator out here. It takes time, but just wait.
Conner: She’s got businesses.
Alex: She’s got businesses and her bills will not be affected.
Credits
Photography Johnny Dufort. Images courtesy of Conner Ives.