This season, SOULLAND presented its so-called “Iron Wheel Club” SS16 collection at the church St. George’s, a venue conveniently located nearby The Old Sorting Office – one of the main venues at LCM. The presentation and parts of the collection, was designed in collaboration with the young, American artist Charlie Roberts, who is known for his inspiration in art-history and pop cultural elements, while arranging them in dynamic sceneries, consisting of various modern hip hop-inspired objects and symbols.
Charlie’s contribution to the collection included a 11×4 meters artwork piece, displayed on the back wall – working as a complimentary background for the 16 models standing in front of it. On some pieces in the collection we can also find Charlie’s sketches in a special developed jacquard woven material, in cordelia embroideries and as prints. A special white leather jacket with Robert´s hand painted drawings on it is also featured in the collection.
Besides the Charlie Roberts pieces, the collection has multiple sources of inspiration. Rather than going with one theme for the SS16 collection, the “Iron Wheel Club” merges different stories of African-American origin that, yet, are connected through hope and defeat.
Topics such as freedom, rebellion and cultural innovation are expressed through Iron Mike’s style mix of boxer gear and middle aged, privileged men. Modern African-American gangs represent life as outlaws, blending present-day hip hop culture and sleek patterned suits from the Harlem jazz era during the 1920s. These different styles are combined through different fabrics, such as linen, heavy leather pieces and denim. This combination of classic contemporary with the shift from rebels to generally accepted citizens dominates SOULLAND’s newest collection.
