Not only did the story form the backdrop of a collection that spanned intergalactic influences, the models emerged from lifesize versions of the text as actor Craig Ferguson’s narration echoed overhead. This was after you shuffled past the car resembling a spaceship, designed in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, at the venue’s entryway, which was in the belly of the Louvre, no less. The models sported clothes like a shirt printed with illustrations from the book that can be unbuttoned, fanned open and read like its actual pages, or ruminations on motifs like spacesuits, the moon, and stars. Footwear suitable for extraterrestrial endeavours came from a working relationship with footwear titan Puma, while technical trousers teased at an upcoming collaboration with fellow New York-based designer, Kody Phillips.
“It’s kind of the story of Kidsuper,” said Dillane, over Zoom from his New York apartment. “I tried for something, I didn’t reach the exact goal that I was going for, but I accomplished something that I thought was never possible. Holy shit, if I can do that, what else can I do? It’s about trying things, taking risks, and that not everything plans out but you’ll always learn something along the way.”
What would you like us to know about this collection?
I don’t know where this idea came from, but I’m glad it came to me. There’s an expectation for me to come up with these amazingly new and rule-breaking concepts for fashion shows, which I love, but it’s quite demanding and difficult. For this show, I wanted a concept that could grow into something bigger; so we’re doing a giant children’s book. It’s not easy to figure out how people are going to walk through giant books. I also had to paint, illustrate, and write the book.
It’s about a boy who builds a makeshift spaceship to get a star. He wants to bring home a star but his machine hits some meteorite shower and he can’t make the star. He ends up going around the moon and coming back to Earth. Everyone is so impressed when he lands that he managed to jump the moon. But he’s sad because he couldn’t get a star; but if he could jump the moon, what else could he do?
How do you think your brand can spark or sustain desire when there is so much else going on in the world?
The cool thing about Kidsuper is — because the shows are heavily based on themes — the clothing becomes quite original because I’m not looking at [the same references as everybody else]. I’m constantly thinking about new concepts. If this show is about a book, let me figure out how I can fit that into the clothing. I think that’s why we have original ideas in fashion more than referential ones because they’re based on concepts rather than clothing.
There is a huge overlap between fashion and entertainment nowadays. What are your thoughts?
These shows are difficult. They’re financially, creatively, and physically draining, and I’m trying to do the most with them. I want to try to accomplish as much as humanly possible. I love that there is prestige to Paris Fashion Week®, and everyone’s viewing it from that lens so everything that you do is treated and elevated in a way of high art. I use Paris Fashion Week® to showcase my best ideas in the form of fashion, the show, the concepts, the theatrics. You’re not at Paris Fashion Week® all the time and, if you’re going to do this, you better do it as big as humanly possible. I don’t understand the concept of half-assing it.
This interview has been lightly edited.
