When a fashion brand is inspired by an artist, you'll often see something like a work of art literally translated to clothing. Engineered Garments, however, is taking a different tact by translating the actual wardrobe of Senegalese artist Issa Samb into its Spring/Summer 2023 collection, inflecting its own designs with the effortless flair of Samb's eclectic outfits.
Samb was rooted in Dakar, where he was born, but absorbed all of the avant-garde artistry in Europe, translating his far-flung influences into an expansive body of work that encompassed paintings, sculpture, music, poetry, and plays.
Laboratoire Agit'Art, Samb's pioneering art collective, comprised a vast assortment of thinkers, creatives, doers, and initiators that left an indelible imprint on the West African art scene. Samb himself would eventually exhibit his work across the globe in his later years, further spreading the word.
But Engineered Garments founder Daiki Suzuki didn't incorporate any of those exact cues when taking cues from Samb for his SS23 collection. In fact, there's no direct inspiration from any of Samb's artworks in the collection at all.
Instead, Suzuki took his cues from the very clothing worn by Samb himself.
Rarely seen without a pipe in his mouth or a vivid jacket around his shoulders, Samb was an extremely snappy dresser.
With his thin-rimmed glasses and berets, he channeled European intellects as his woven scarves and patchworked jackets reflected the handiwork of African artisans.
Suzuki gently incorporates those cues into Engineered Garments SS23 through high-vis patterns so bright and neon that they can likely be seen from space.
Striking batik, eye-watering plaid, camouflage, paisley, quilted patchwork: EG SS23 is a feast for the eyes.
But none of us can actually be as stylish as Samb himself. That's okay.
Engineered Garments Spring/Summer 2023 offers plenty of opportunities to get pretty close and even more opportunities to wear pretty normal stuff in slightly more adventurous makeups.
There's also some darn handsome clothing here that's good AF even without context.
Printed shorts, light denim field jackets, patterned blazers, deep-pleated pants, sunflower anoraks, and some new Suicoke sandals are top-tier stuff, and that's just scratching the surface of the goodness on display here.
Perhaps more collaborations are in store for the season — there usually are a couple footwear drops at least — but if nothing else EG SS23 is great inspo for stepping up your outfit game.
