Pictures – Luca Franzoni ©
Julian Zigerli is renowned for unique collaborations with artists, taking inspiration from their evocative work to inspire his own bold aesthetic. For AW18, Julian turned to cult photographer Walter Pfeiffer, artistically translating his colourful vision of the male form into a collection for both men and women.
Now in his early seventies, Pfeiffer’s photography has never been in greater demand. Known for exploring the instability of gender and sexuality in relation to the male body, this collaboration with Julian Zigerli has a sense of liberation that you would expect.
Together with Julian, Pfeiffer shot two ‘Walter Boys’ especially for this collection. In Pfeiffer’s mission to chase beauty, the ‘Walter Boys’ are always youthful, provocative and sexual. The transformation of this portrait photography onto a textile has a surreal impact which makes the body appear as a sculpture in certain lights.
Never a designer to shy away from pushing artistic boundaries, Zigerli delights in exploring male beauty and gender play through fashion. However, with this season’s darker-than-usual colour palette – the intimate nods to the human form are mostly revealed to those with a studying eye. For Julian Zigerli’s 15th collection, the brand wanted to celebrate their own history and have used their archive to inspire key shapes for A/W18. The best of Zigerli’s pieces which show effortless wearability and comfort are fused with new photography, fabrics and colours. One of the key pieces is the ‘Buttpack’: a signature piece, with a Pfeiffer twist, showing off ‘the perfect butt’.
