A long wait to view the M.Patmos Fall/Winter 2012 collection, but well worth it.
On Thursday night outside Milk Studios, it looked like a scene from the Occupy movement’s Fashion Week spin-off. A long line snaked down 15th Street, filled with high-heeled fashion girls and thick-spectacled fashion boys waiting upwards of an hour in 30-degree weather for entry to the five presentations taking place on the 8th floor: Libertine, John Bartlett, Erickson Beamon, Tim Hamilton Redux, and M.Patmos. From the top of the line, you could hear the rough shouts of security guards yelling at the hordes of people who dared think they could surpass the line. One of the guards, hauling a metal security barrier to block the crowds, shook his head and muttered, “Who are these people?”
I was there for the M.Patmos presentation, and by the time the guards finally let my block in, the show was nearly over. I had a hot second to ogle Marcia Patmos’ artfully crafted collection of knitwear, though, and it left me wanting more.
For Fall/Winter 2012, Patmos was inspired by Edward S. Curtis’s The Women, a book featuring portraits of Native American women at the turn of the 20th century. Patmos incorporated Native American-inspired graphic patterns and traditional Indian trading blankets into a small collection with a mostly black-and-white palette, with pops of red, orange, hot pink, and camel. The luxe materials included eco-friendly merino wool and alpaca, faux fur made from wool and alpaca, and vegetable tanned leather.
In designing the collection, Patmos emphasized a slow fashion approach with multifunctional garments and layering that transcends seasons. Her pieces incorporated handwork techniques from women’s artisan collectives in Nepal and Bolivia, as well as zero-waste seamless knitting technology from Japan. In this line and moving forward, Patmos recognizes the importance of working locally, and has committed herself to producing a larger portion of her garments in the United States and sourcing materials closer to her factories.
Also showcased in the presentation were vegetable tanned leather booties produced in collaboration with Manolo Blahnik and reclaimed wooden jewelry made by TENTHOUSANDTHINGS for M. Patmos, which perfectly complemented the infinitely wearable knits. Below, some of our favorite looks.
Images: Jessica Marati