"The world of fashion today is just based on product, but we care about the stories," explained Byronesque founder Gill Linton in a recent interview with AnOther magazine. The entrepreneur’s editorial based e-commerce site, an authority on vintage fashion from the late 1970s to the early 2000s, aims to offer a more meaningful alternative to today’s fast-fashion, as well as challenge the misconception “just because it’s old means it’s good” - Gill believes that the term vintage has become homogenised, and that as a consequence, all old clothing is now by its very nature deemed good and worthy of the vintage tag, regardless of its actual worth and relevance.
Soon to be released in partnership with Style.com, to celebrate the re-launch of the Condé Nast-owned site, the limited-edition collection of vintage t-shirts pays a sartorial tribute to some of subculture’s most revered fashion rebels, and represents a significant moment in each designer’s fashion history.
Each perfectly distressed piece, featuring the likes of Halston, Yohji Yamamoto, the Antwerp Six and Claude Montana, among others, has been curated by Gill Linton, together with Byronesque’s Creative Director Justin Westover and the original pioneers of the ‘dream-team’ t-shirt, LPD; and they have been sourced by one of the company’s vintage specialist partners, Chapel NYC. Critically acclaimed fashion illustrator, Jessica May Underwood, has also brought the designs to life in a series of illustrations.
“Each t-shirt is like wearing a fashion editorial,” said Gill. “Everything from the date to the print, even the color and wear and tear of each t-shirt has been hand selected to tell a story about the designers who have made an important contribution to fashion history. What better way to pay homage to our vintage fashion heroes?”
The Antwerp 6 t-shirts reflect the dark, gothic influence of Antwerp itself, with spots of color for the unusual combinations that are the signature of both Walter Van Beirendonck's and Dries van Noten’s designs. The Montana 85 design, worn below by CoutureLab’s Carmen Busquets, celebrates the designer’s success in the fashion Oscars in 1985, and the texturized rubber used for the print was inspired by his fascination with S&M.
Carmen in St Barths wearing the Montana 85
In addition to the limited-edition collection of t-shirts, Byronesque has also designed a series of one-of-a-kind prints. These capture the iconic history of each designer in more detail, and will be available exclusively via the company’s website.
The capsule collection of t-shirts will be on sale in the autumn on Byronesque.com, as well as via select retailers. Email ownit@byronesque.com to join the waitlist.
Read more about Byronesque here.