In the confines of the Palais de Tokyo, G-Star presented its latest collection « Raw Research II, » designed by creative director Aitor Throup. Inside his lab, the newly appointed executive creative director explores all the ways of crafting denim through a process of exploration, curiosity, and experimentation. Since releasing Elwood, the first 3D denim designed by Pierre Morisset in 1996, the brand has never stopped exploring the multitude of possibilities for reinventing the universal garment of denim. G-Star could not have picked a better person to run the Raw Research lab: Aitor Throup shares the brand’s same desire to experiment, take risks, and push the limits through sheer creativity, as this collection has once again illustrated the brand’s aim to push innovation further and further. For the native of Buenos Aires, each project offers a new chance to make garments that are more technical, innovative, and avant-garde.

After the Staq Pant – which creates the impression of denim that is already worn and explores our physical relationship to the garment – the Raw Research lab’s second innovation is a new 3D denim concept called the « Motac » series. It highlights the approach of combining rigid denim with flexible fabric inserts to create unexpected hybrid products. Evoking both the garment’s flexibility and rigidity, the brand presented the items with no models. Placed atop boxes, many of the garments appeared as sculptures without flesh. Still others were ensconced in the air, hung by means of metallic wires along with a dirt bike. The collection’s staging also evoked this dualism: total black outfits on one side of the room, with washed-out looks on the other side created a sort of mirror effect.

Finally, a backdrop featuring the emblematic Dutch tulip lent a touch of romanticism to the show. Hans Bollongier’s painting « Floral Still Life » from 1639 also appeared in the exhibition space, serving as a metaphor for the Dutch « Tulipmania » and the inevitable collapse of its economic model based on exclusivity. With this new collection, G-Star continues to emerge as a precursor in advancing new materials and denim design. Guided by a visionary designer, the brand is constantly renewing its reputation as an expert in denim.