Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London.

KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London.

“Scale”, as a principle of design, can provide designers with a never ending treasure trove of options when it is used to iterate a single idea into a myriad of different variations. For the KTZ men’s collection for Autumn-Winter 2015, the experiments with scale seemed to have very specific conceptual links to A Clockwork Orange, which was the inspiration behind the collection.

While some garments in the collection featured pixelated faces on appliquéd patches, these faces soon loomed closer to the viewer, seemingly in a menacing reference to The Ludovico Technique from the book and film. In this way the coloured fabric of the later looks becomes more subversive, with garments having both a superficial Rubik’s cube playfulness and a darker undertone for the diehard fans.

At times the overblown pixelated effect seemed to be created by individually positioned squares in a furry fabric, however the corners of some of these squares appeared to be joined, perhaps to help with positioning and spacing of the pieces. At other times, the squares appeared to be tiles, like flat plastic sequins with holes in each corner so that they could be sewn onto the fabric.

Aside from the pixelated images (including what appears to be a bust of Beethoven), other details in the collection were also scaled up. Large oversized zips cut through the front of what appears to be black rubber boiler suits and oversized grommets punctuated the edges of coats.

There were also some interesting pocket details to note with tilted pockets cut so that the lines of the fabric remained vertical, and tailored pockets cut with contrasting jets.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 1. Assorted patches.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 2. Pixelated effect on faces.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 3. Curved lapel line.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 4. Lines match through tilted pockets.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 5. Contrast jet pockets.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 6. Striped fabric.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 7. Furry coloured squares create Rubik

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 8. Squares appear to be attached individually like large flat sequins.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 9. Giant zips through overalls.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 10. Giant zips through boiler suits layered like bomber jackets.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 11. Monochrome textile effect.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 12.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 13. Giant grommets and horizontal panels.

Pixelated Faces Play with Scale at KTZ | The Cutting Class. KTZ (Kokon To Zai), Menswear, AW15, London, Image 14. Zips run down the front of sleeves.

Images from KTZ»

Recent Articles

Reverse Textiles at Guo Pei Haute Couture | The Cutting Class. Panelled dress with oversized sleeves from the SS20 Haute Couture collection.
26 Mar 2020
Reverse Textiles at Guo Pei Haute Couture
Guo Pei, SS20, Haute Couture, Paris. There are times where we want fashion to be a slightly elevated version of the everyday, and then there are times where you just...
Gathering and Ceramic Plates at Loewe | The Cutting Class. Detail of gathered fabric and ceramic plate by artist Takuro Kuwata from the AW20 collection.
13 Mar 2020
Gathering and Ceramic Plates at Loewe
Loewe, AW20, Paris. The Autumn-Winter 2020 collection by Jonathan Anderson for Loewe, featured fabric that had been draped and gathered around central ceramic disks or bold matte black central panels....
Connected Knits and Layering at Issey Miyake | The Cutting Class. AW20 Multi-coloured connected knits.
08 Mar 2020
Connected Knits and Layering at Issey Miyake
Issey Miyake, AW20, Paris. The Issey Miyake Autumn-Winter 2020 collection led by designer Satoshi Kondo, was made up of a series of smaller stories. These stories explored the "words and...