Circumsolar by Sruli Recht
Icelandic fashion designer Sruli Recht has used translucent lambskin, stripy skunk fur, an ancient meteorite and fabric that can withstand mortar attacks in his latest menswear collection (+ slideshow).
The spring/summer 2013 collection, called Circumsolar, was unveiled in Paris on the last day of June.
Translucent leather has been used to make a vest, shoes and passport holder.
Leather made from horses and ostriches has been used to make two large penis forms, called Shaft and Sheath.
Some of the linings and undergarments are made from a high-tech paraffin cooling knit, which rapidly cools the skin on contact.
Ballistic aramid, a material used in body armour to protect against bomb and knife attacks, has been used to make a brimless hat.
The Epoch ring is made from the Muonionalusta meteorite, which fell into the Arctic Circle about one million years ago. The striped marks on the ring are a result of the shock impact with earth.
A silk and cashmere scarf has been digitally printed with an image of the sun's solar wind by artist B. Börkur Éiriksson and produced by couture fabric house Ratti.
Skunk fur has been used to make a bomber jacket with a white stripe running down the arms.
Another bomber jacket is made from dark green lamb's leather, which has been fused with aluminium in the top layers of the epidermis.
The majority of the clothes are constructed from a single pattern piece and one piece of material.
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Photographs are by Marinó Thorlacius.
Here's some more information from the designer:
“This collection is drawn by the dust of a meteor's tail in orbital decay, illuminated by our sun.” - Sruli Recht, June, 2012.
The collection in three words – Solar, Polarising, Circular.
The Circumsolar collection for Spring and 2013 consists of 24 total looks - from light coats, tailored jackets and cardigans, to trousers, shorts and leggings, complemented by hats, boots, shoes, bags, gloves, sunglasses and jewellery - 55 styles, approximately 105 items with material variations.
The majority of the garments/ items are constructed from a single pattern piece and one piece of material, where the width of the material allows. In the case of the shirts, the cuff and placket come from the same piece of fabric as the sleeve, which is also part of the body and collar. Our shoes are hand-lasted in-house and completely hand-sewn.
This season employs a global selection of waxed cottons, leathers and silks, and timber, complemented by Icelandic reindeer and horse skin. Our buttons this season, an Obol, are made from oxidized metal alloy rods, designed, moulded and drop-cast in the studio.
Everything in the collection is made in Iceland.
MATERIALS
Featured sourced materials: meteorite, translucent leather, black gold, ballistic aramid, high-tech paraffin cooling linings, skunk fur, aluminium-infused lamb skin and bamboo suiting.
Transparent Leather. Made from the purest lambs – for if you remove the sole of an animal before its passing, the skin becomes transparent.
Muonionalusta Meteorite. Considered the oldest meteorite to have impacted the earth, the Muonionalusta Meteorite has passed through four Ice-ages, having fallen into the Arctic Circle about 1 million years ago.
Solar Burned Black Gold. For if you take the gold from the teeth of the passed during the daylight hours, it will become black when reworked.
High-Tech Paraffin Cooling Knit. Used in military and medical applications, this material rapidly cools the skin on contact. This season we have used it for both linings and undergarments.
Ballistic Aramid. Known for its employment in military ballistic protection, aramid fibres are used in layers to stop mortar and knife attacks.
Skunk. Historically referred to as Alaskan Sable, the skunk’s fur is a shimmering black with a white V running from head to tail. This fur consists of two layers, a soft inner fur (25-40mm long), and longer guard hairs (35-80mm long) which are of a coarser texture than the under fur.
Lamb-coated Aluminium. Before departing, the lamb is placed partly submerged in a tank, where through scientific application the aluminium, like adamantium, is fused between the first few layers of the epidermis.
Bamboo Suiting. Traditionally Bamboo was used to make hats and shoes in Japan and China. Moso bamboo has many advantages as a raw material for textiles over materials such as cotton. The plants can reach up to 35 metres tall and are the fastest growing woody plants on earth. The high growth rate of bamboo and the fact that it can grow in such diverse climates makes the bamboo plant a sustainable and versatile resource.
GARMENTS
Feature Garments: Limited items from the new collection of Sruli Recht for Spring and Summer 2013, Circumsolar.
*Some items made to order only
Show Piece One - Carapace*
SR549 – Translucent Leather Vest - Made from the purest lambs – for if you remove the sole of an animal before its passing, the skin becomes transparent.
SR550 - Translucent Five-Dimensional Lamb Leather Parchment Shoes
To be placed on at birth and again at death, for in dimension 5, they are the parenthesis of this twisted mass, I.
Show Piece Three – Epoch*
SR540b - Large Acid-Etched Ring from the Muonionalusta Meteorite.
By the hands of one blacksmith, acid, and the coincidence of gravity’s pull on a passing octahedrite, comes the ring EPOCH, sheared and formed from the Muonionalusta Meteorite. Considered the oldest meteorite to have impacted the earth, the Muonionalusta Meteorite has passed through four Ice-ages, having fallen into the Arctic Circle about one million years ago. The linear striations are naturally occurring as a result of the heavy shock impact with the planet.
Show Piece Four* - Supermassive
SR527a - Skunk Fur High Collar Bomber
Feature Piece One - In Solar Wind
SR534 - Digital-Print Silk and Cashmere Scarf.
2.5m long Skarf [70% WS 30% SE], with digital print of our Sun’s solar wind, by artist B. Börkur Éiriksson, produced by couture fabric house Ratti.
Feature Piece Two - From Kinetic Energy
SR523 - Hand Knitted Cowl Sweater [100% Organic CO].
Feature Piece Three - Supermassive
SR527c - Dark Green High Collar Bomber from Aluminium-infused Lambskin.
Feature Piece Four - May Your Duty Dance With Death
SR520c - Ballistic-Proof Brimless Hat [100% WV 100% Kevlar].
Feature Non-Product: Limited items from the new collection of Sruli Recht for Spring and Summer 2013, Circumsolar.
*some items made to order only
Feature Product One - Shaft*
SR528a - Blood-Red Layered Penis Form, Icelandic Horse Leather
Feature Product Two - Sheath*
SR503a - Black Leather Ribbed Prophylactic, Ostrich Leather
Feature Product Three - White Albedo*
SR507 - Drift-White Rimless Cherry Wood Frames – with clear or tinted lenses.
Feature Product Four - The Great Transition*
SR531a - Single piece translucent leather passport holder, with sections for travel documents, 4 sim cards, pen and paper currency.
Feature Product Four - From Decaying Orbit
SR542b - Twisted bracelet of blackened gold, shaped to the path the earth takes around our sun, with one polished edge.
June 30, 2012, 5 30 pm. This season brought our first officially scheduled Paris runway presentation and performance. Featuring the choreography and performance of artist Tony Orrico. Original score from acclaimed composer Nico Muhly. Presented as runway and performance within the epic spaces of Palais Brongniart, Paris.
The Sruli Recht studio is a cross-discipline practice caught somewhere between product design, tailoring and shoe making. Based in Reykjavík, the studio rose to notoriety as it began in 2008 to produce one “non-product” every month from umbrellas to bulletproof scarves, tables, to belts and boots, and incorporating such materials as concrete, diamonds, skin and wool. The studio produces two seasonal menswear lines per year.
Movie credits:
SRULI RECHT S/S 2013
Circumsolar
and fragments of dying light
June 30, 2012
Featuring the choreography and performance of artist Tony Orrico.
Original score from acclaimed composer Nico Muhly.
Presented as runway and performance within the epic spaces of Palais Brongniart, Paris.