Treasured Items... David Hellqvist
Every item has a story to tell and
here at Style Salvage we strive to seek out the most interesting to
share with you. Today, David Hellqvist, Editor of Dazed Digital and Fashion Editor of Hemma Magazine,
tells us the tale behind two of his most cherished possessions. The
first being the sartorial fruit of a mouth watering collaboration and
the other a timeless and elegant branch of his family tree.
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"It is, of course, difficult to
choose just one item from a wardrobe and call it your most 'treasured
item', not least because what today is indispensable to you might
tomorrow be deemed superfluous and a complete mismatch. So, in a sneaky
but Salter-approved fashion, I have chosen two items, one of them
representing the sort of sartorial ‘Clash of the Titans’ I love finding,
and another piece that has nothing to do with fashion and style – it’s
something I just treasure for the sake of what it represents and the
memories it conjures. This ‘Treasured Item(s)’ is one part ‘hungry for
more’-fashion, and one part timeless family memorabilia.
First up, a dark bottle green corduroy suit by Adam Kimmel for Supreme. I chose this because, as mentioned above, it represents something I’m always on the lookout for; a good brand collaboration. Some might say that in this day and age, with everyone collaborating with each other (high street chains take on high-end fashion designers to gain cred, and the designers accept because of the dosh involved), the concept of a collaborative collection is outdated and no longer relevant. That’s of course true in many instances, but it also makes a truly great collab stand out, making them more desirable due to the sub-standard offerings on a saturated market.
First up, a dark bottle green corduroy suit by Adam Kimmel for Supreme. I chose this because, as mentioned above, it represents something I’m always on the lookout for; a good brand collaboration. Some might say that in this day and age, with everyone collaborating with each other (high street chains take on high-end fashion designers to gain cred, and the designers accept because of the dosh involved), the concept of a collaborative collection is outdated and no longer relevant. That’s of course true in many instances, but it also makes a truly great collab stand out, making them more desirable due to the sub-standard offerings on a saturated market.
Dark bottle green corduroy suit by Adam Kimmel for Supreme.
So what makes a good
collaboration? Much like a cover song, it’s about bringing something new
to the table, about fusing two different styles, ideas and aesthetics
in one exotic sartorial mish mash. I remember combing through milk crate
after milk crate in damp record store basements many years ago, looking
for obscure remixes and interesting producer/artist combinations. I was
well into my music and for me, the next step up from just buying
someone’s 12 inch single was looking for those instances when a record
label had brought in another artist or producer to re-work and tweak
someone I liked and respected. The way I saw it, things could only get
better that way.
And that’s what I felt
when I heard of the Supreme x Adam Kimmel collab. None of them need much
of an introduction on this fine blog, but the fact that a
skate/streetwear brand such as Supreme was willing to take its baggy and
casual street approach to a ’tailor’, allowing Kimmel to cut a suit in
Supreme’s boxy style intrigued me. Kimmel’s choice of fabrics and his
way of fitting the jacket worked really well with the more comfortable
trouser cut. With subtle colour choices and almost nondescript thin
corduroy, the suit was far from Supreme’s usual logo-covered and loud
statement-infused clothing. That’s not to say I don’t appreciate the
archetypical Supreme style. I do, but when James Jebbia and his NYC
skaters allowed a menswear designer who makes his clothes in Italy and
stages catwalk shows during Paris Menswear Week to distort their brand,
he took them out of their comfort zone and, as such, they created the
perfect collaborative suit. When wearing it, you feel like you’re part
of two universes, it’s a Best Of Two Worlds experience, allowing the
wearer the benefits of Adam Kimmel’s expert eye for fabrics, details and
cuts while still being draped in a credible street uniform from
Supreme. The combination is one I can relate to and - when worn together
with other items from my wardrobe - I feel I own the suit: I wear it,
not the other way around… just the way a perfect collaborative item, or
any garment for that matter, should make you feel.
