There’s no better moment than an anniversary for a designer to home in on a brand’s heritage, an easy way to pay tribute to its history. Or one can simply challenge oneself and leverage the milestone as an opportunity to move forward and write a new chapter, carrying the legacy on.
For Iceberg’s 50th celebrations, creative director James Long embraced the latter path, parading a zingy-colored collection with references that straddled from the Swinging ’60s in London to ‘90s minimalism, somewhat giving up on the streetwear experimentations that have defined his nine-year tenure at the storied brand.
Previewing the collection with WWD a few days before the show, he said that “the references are there, and the pinpoints are there for me, but the process and the development of the design ends in a new vision.”
It was a refreshing one. He didn’t let nostalgia win him over, not even as he was researching the archives for a celebratory book coming out in October.
Instead, the leggy look provided by undies and pop socks paired with girlish knit cardigans, open-weave mohair sweaters or crisp cotton shirts in dissonant colorways felt current. As did the mac coats in reversible poplin, one side demurely beige, the other in zingy orange or blue.
The wraparound mini and pencil skirts paired with bandeau tops as well as the men’s glossy shorts paired with oversize shirts carried Iceberg’s youthful spin toward more mature territory without losing any of its cool factor.
One could easily envision the suede overshirts and safari jackets, glossy leather trenchcoats cut just below the hips and lightweight gabardine dusters as throw-on-and-go, attitude-boosting pieces.
In the front row, Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared2, who helmed Iceberg’s creative direction between 2002 and 2004, were cheering, as was Alessandro Dell’Acqua, whose No. 21 brand sold a minority stake to Iceberg’s owner Gilmar in 2015.
“It’s a nice time to celebrate 50 years, but it’s not my 50 years, it’s someone else’s. It’s ours,” Long said. Spring proved that he is doing his part in this history.