GmbH FW21 Is Made For Anywhere But At Home
Brand: GmbH Fall/Winter 2021
Release Date: Available now
Buy: Highsnobiety
Editor’s Notes: First presented at the start of this year, the themes of GmbH's Fall/Winter 2021 collection were inspired by life in lockdown but hold a new relevance as 2021 comes to an end.
The collection is titled Welt am Draht (which translates to "World on a Wire") after Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 1973 sci-fi TV series where a supercomputer hosts an artificial world in which "identity units" live as humans. It is almost as if the presentation envisaged Facebook's deep dive into the metaverse which has spiraled into computer-generated environment's becoming one of the most-contemplated topics of the year and the collection now releases as the world is one step closer to similar (admittedly less scary) virtual worlds being commonplace.
However, the German label has not created these garments as an embrace of the ever-evolving digital landscape, but rather the opposite — a focus on materiality and a reliance on the analog at a time when the world arguably needs it more than ever.
Cutting and shaping fabrics to sculpt a collection that focuses on how the wearer interacts with the real world offered Serhat Isik and Benjamin Huseby, the design duo behind the label, the hands-on IRL experience that they were craving. According to a statement by the brand: "all the garments suggest a life anywhere, but inside our homes. Whether it means going to the opera or the club, hiking, skiing, horse riding, or cruising. You choose your adventure.”
The result is items such as a tight neon green top where the brand's signature X-shaped wraps stretch the jersey fabric across the wearer's chest and a pair of shiny black pleather trousers. These are items that make a statement through their experimentation with fabric.
Complementing these pieces is the label's take on more staple items such as hoodies and t-shirts which are given the GmbH treatment through cropped shapes and include logo graphics inspired by the title sequence of the series that the collection is named after.
Overall, at a time when lockdowns are being re-introduced around the world and labels such as adidas and Balenciaga are diving headfirst into the metaverse, GmbH Fall/Winter 2021 goes some way towards satisfying our craving for an adventure outside of our four walls.
Shop GmbH at Highsnobiety Below.
