Asher Levine: Embracing Technology
fluoro spoke to Asher Levine about his label and the intersection of fashion, technology and communication.
From a young age Levine was immersed in fashion, and at age 26 estimates he had been sewing for 16 years. Launching his self-titled menswear label at 22 – the same year that he graduated – he has since grown to solidify his place in the industry.
Innovation is central to Levine’s practice and is something that fluoro has seen develop over the years. Levine highlights that he and the Asher Levine studio are always experimenting, “whether it is dying leather, creating new types of textiles or putting lights in something”. As he spoke with fluoro he was multi-tasking and experimenting with a dye solution and leather. This attitude ensures that Levine’s work is constantly progressing.
Technology is a constant factor in Levine’s design process whether included in the garments themselves or implemented in their development. Technology is something that he believes has a natural dialogue with fashion. Levine suggests that right now technology and the Internet are more than ever about communicating information, and fashion to him is a key form of communication. “Humans are social creatures,” he explains. “Who you are, how you express yourself and how you look is a form of communication, it is how you interact with this world and in turn how you are perceived.” The progression of technology within the fashion industry seems only natural to Levine, as a way of enhancing communication. “Fashion is the last industry that deals with communication that has yet to integrate technology that we use to communicate, such as phones.”
Previous collections have seen Levine embed microchips into his garments. While most recently his collection of Grenade Bags were embedded with a GPS system, which allowed users to track their bag via their phones. The inclusion of technology within his collections increases the potential of the garments and their energy. “You have to consider the function of clothing at its basic form. Clothing the body is one of the basic functions of protection,” says Levine. He highlights that in the future technology may have the potential to create garments that are responsive to the body’s basic human needs. “It would be amazing to print a matrix of specialised material made of non-fibres and when you put it on you are always the perfect temperature.”
The possibility for these futuristic garments is reliant on creatives such as Levine to push the potential of new technologies as they are created. “If you have a 3D printer will you be able to put your jacket back into the printer and recycle it to be a pair of slacks? Can you change its colour? What else can you do? Sooner or later the augmented reality will be everywhere.”
The Asher Levine studio practices in the same way as the iconic couture houses of the past, when it comes to the creation of the highly unique garments of haute couture. The difference is their experimentation with the advanced technological tools of the future.
Levine has created garments worn by the likes of Lady Gaga and Will.i.am, yet his influences remain classic. “I love Thierry Mugler, I see his designs and I feel like I am looking at myself. Also, Rudi Gernreich I love. Rudi wore jumpsuits everywhere and I love jumpsuits.” What appeals to Levine about these designers is their “classic progressivism”, something that he strives for in his own work.
At present Levine is focused on menswear, however he does not shy away from the concept of diversifying and regularly launching a womenswear collection. He is yet to decide on how he will branch into this stream. “I want the corset look, I want the gown look, I want the business look, and I want the casual look. But I want to hit it basic. I love Film Noir era fashion. It is sophisticated.”
Something that remains clear to Levine is that he views womenswear and menswear as distinctly different. “Making something that is pretty, isn’t the vocabulary that you think of when you are making something for a male. I like that pretty can be fun and subverting what pretty can be in a sexy way is a challenge, when it comes to womenswear.” His unique view has allowed him to establish his position in the industry, moving away from the silhouettes traditionally associated with menswear.
Levine has his eyes set on making things work in the short term to foster long-term growth, he remains aware that fashion is a hard industry. “In this day and age everyone is trying to figure out how to make it work. It is fun to see where it is going to go and make it grow.” From collaborating with brands to offer their customers a unique experience to branching out and creating garments for high scale performances, Levine highlights that what Asher Levine does best is “bring fantasies into realities”.
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