EXCLUSIVE: Kris Van Assche goes into children's fashion
Kris Van Assche, who last year completed a three-year term as artistic director of Berluti, has taken on a surprising and unique creative project: children's clothing.
The Belgian designer, also known for his 11 years at Dior Homme, has created a collection for fashion childish Chinese giant Balabala, which is said to equip up to 20 million families.
The autumn range for girls and boys aged 3 to 14 is positioned at a higher price than d habit Offering of Balabala. It will be introduced this week in 20 premium boutiques and two flagship stores in Greater China, as well as online.
Related GalleriesRevealing the project exclusively to WWD, Van Assche said he found the design exercise interesting and fun .
"At this stage of my professional life, and with this newfound freedom, the unexpected and the challenge are exactly what I'm looking for," he said, calling it "a great opportunity for me to introduce myself and my work to this new, young generation, probably too young to have experienced my own label." .
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Van Assche created his signature brand in 2005 — two years before taking the top designer job at Dior — and putting it on hiatus in 2015.
Known for its youthful fit and many sports and workwear influences, the Kris Van Assche collection was also interested in women's fashion.
For his project Balabala, the Belgian designer based in Paris decided to rework his signature collection for the fall 2014, which referred to the clubbing and rave-party scene.
It resumed its multicolored polka dots and its houndstooth pattern, while suits, shirts , mesh and sequins got a "kidswear makeover." Van Assche also added sequined dresses and skirts for the girls, as well as sneakers and sunglasses.
Balabala's dotted looks are a nod to a 2014 adult collection by Kris Van Assche.The designer recruited photographer Alessio Bolzoni and stylist Mauricio Nardi, who worked on his campaigns in 2014, and recreated similar images for the Balabala collaboration.
"It's fun from yesterday to today", the same mood and composition, a similar atmosphere of collection, at the time on my catwalk models and now on seven-an...
Kris Van Assche, who last year completed a three-year term as artistic director of Berluti, has taken on a surprising and unique creative project: children's clothing.
The Belgian designer, also known for his 11 years at Dior Homme, has created a collection for fashion childish Chinese giant Balabala, which is said to equip up to 20 million families.
The autumn range for girls and boys aged 3 to 14 is positioned at a higher price than d habit Offering of Balabala. It will be introduced this week in 20 premium boutiques and two flagship stores in Greater China, as well as online.
Related GalleriesRevealing the project exclusively to WWD, Van Assche said he found the design exercise interesting and fun .
"At this stage of my professional life, and with this newfound freedom, the unexpected and the challenge are exactly what I'm looking for," he said, calling it "a great opportunity for me to introduce myself and my work to this new, young generation, probably too young to have experienced my own label." .
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Van Assche created his signature brand in 2005 — two years before taking the top designer job at Dior — and putting it on hiatus in 2015.
Known for its youthful fit and many sports and workwear influences, the Kris Van Assche collection was also interested in women's fashion.
For his project Balabala, the Belgian designer based in Paris decided to rework his signature collection for the fall 2014, which referred to the clubbing and rave-party scene.
It resumed its multicolored polka dots and its houndstooth pattern, while suits, shirts , mesh and sequins got a "kidswear makeover." Van Assche also added sequined dresses and skirts for the girls, as well as sneakers and sunglasses.
Balabala's dotted looks are a nod to a 2014 adult collection by Kris Van Assche.The designer recruited photographer Alessio Bolzoni and stylist Mauricio Nardi, who worked on his campaigns in 2014, and recreated similar images for the Balabala collaboration.
"It's fun from yesterday to today", the same mood and composition, a similar atmosphere of collection, at the time on my catwalk models and now on seven-an...
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