Lanla co-designers Arnar Már Jónsson and Luke Stevens found that designing fall clothes was more instinctive than spring, which can partly be explained by geography. The company operates between Reykjavik and London; neither capital city is known for its hospitable climate. “We’ve been talking about summer in Iceland,” Jonsson said with a laugh. “We waited for it, it never happened.”
More practically, there was a need to translate the textures and earthy color palettes the designer loves to use on a sunny day, but In this series, the two feel like they’ve taken a big step forward. They achieved this by embracing the philosophy of better design means better life, an idea that dates back to Italian menswear in the 20th century, when Stone Island and CP Company founder Massimo Osti was crafting a legendary , continues to provide information for manufacturers of functional and stylish workwear. This is also when Giorgio Armani removed the padding from his suits. While Jónsson and Stevens did find and use fabrics from companies that Osti worked with and looked at the archive work he made, this wasn’t a reference collection; it read from head to toe as Ranra.
Footwear always provides a clue to a designer’s collection. For spring, models wore very Wodehouse-inspired gentleman slippers, featuring the label’s first sock designs. This young-yet-old vibe is also reflected in the clothing, many of which are fairly classic and functional but feature new fabrics and fresh treatments. The denim jeans and matching jewel-toned blue jacket were not dyed, but screen-printed. The same goes for the railroad stripes, which are screened after the garments are sewn, creating interesting irregularities. Cotton twill played a huge role in khaki separates, along with some popular nylon pieces, including lace-up trousers and a one-pocket jumper in ochre.
But Jónsson and Stevens use soft fabrics to make the difference. This is the duo’s first extensive use of jersey, with micromodal shorts, often worn under stiffer woven fabrics, and lightweight zip-front sweaters that turn over at the hem to create a very fluid shape. . Great jersey tracksuits paired with convertible jackets really captured the spirit of the collection. While not surreal, the draped feel of the tracksuit is somehow related to the melting of Dali’s clock. There’s a sense of just right here, a sense of spring that designers have incorporated so tenderly.
