Look Book: TÔ Long-Nam
Collection: FW 2009/10
Photography by Mark Pillai
Designed by TÔ Long-Nam
Website: tolongnam.com
TÔ Long-Nam is a young Paris-based fashion designer, after graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts Berlin-Weissensee in Fashion-Design in 2000, Long-Nam moved to Paris where he started working for internationally renowned stylists such as Victoria Bartlett and later on for Patti Wilson. In 2005 Long-Nam goes back to design and starts working as a design assistant in the men's wear studio of LANVIN, same year he participates in the 21st International Fashion Competition in Hyères/France, for which he designs his first collection. After a collaboration with Alessandra Facchinetti for the VALENTINO fashion house in Milan, he moves back to Paris, and by the end of last year founds his own company. At the moment Long-Nam and his team are working on his Spring Summer 2010 collection, his work is represented in Paris at LAURENT SUCHEL MEDIA & COMMUNICATION and in Milan at the Showroom SPAZIO 38.
Design Scene is proud to present TÔ Long-Nam Fall Winter 2009.10 collection, more info and the look book under the cut:
Force has always been a keyword in the design principles of TÔ Long-Nam. For Fall/Winter 2009 the collection found inspiration in the human body and, in particular, the intricacy of the muscles within human anatomy. The soft architectural structure of each muscle, their unique composition, their diversity and their ability to function harmoniously to produce graceful motion formed the foundations of the collection. Based on this understanding, the collection shows a variety of garment constructions borrowing from the gentle and elegant contours of muscle design. Curved seams, round finishings and tactile fabrics united with female proportions delivers a collection which is powerful and modern, but which remains forever feminine at its core.
The collection boasts an array of constructed signature jackets whose architectural designs are executed with an attention to detail that exposes an innate understanding of couture. The essence of the design remain in its transversality. They were designed for any kind of woman, for a maximum number of situations, both work and play, which increasingly seem to be performed in the same outfits. The jackets are cut with a discreet fitted waist to accentuate the female form. The round shapes of the seams follow the female morphology while the back panelling displays the collection's aesthetical translation of muscle design to fashion design. The jackets employ the use of different fabrics to reflect the diversity of muscle fibres. These materials have been chosen for their varying degress of tactility. The collection uses a mixture of luxurious fabrics to offer a variation of black color shades such as: perforated silk satin, silk satin, cashmere/wool blend, a wool gabardine blend with a silky finishing and a lacqued crêpe de chine. Soft fabrics are combined with raw ones and matt fabrics with shiny ones, in order to sharpen the harmonic contrast between the arrangement of straight lines and round curves.
The collection also illustrates the beautiful translation of muscle design to fashion design in its patchwork bottoms such as in the design of the pants and skirts. Inspired by the elegant – from TÔ Long-Nam
*Images courtesy of TÔ Long-Nam
