Palmiers du Mal 2017.02 latest designs represent the unapologetic badass. If you grew up in urban, rural America and some parts of London, this collection will resonant with you. The collection was designed around separates. You can mix or match any of the pieces to tell your own personal story.
Runway Photo Credit: Gerardo Somoza for INDIGITAL/TV
Press Release
Palmiers du Mal 2017.02
“The Evil Palms”
New York, NY, February 1st, 2017 — New York City-based menswear label, Palmiers du Mal (pronounced: pä(l)mēā d/u/ môl ), is pleased to introduce the latest collection, 2017.02, “The Evil Palms.” Based on a hypothetical international syndicate of jewel thieves a la The Pink Panther gang, The Evil Palms tells the story of a diamond heist from ideation to ultimate escape on a Mediterranean island, featuring pieces befitting the lifestyle, from athletic-inspired tear-away velvet trousers to luxurious, playful outerwear. Designed for the nomadic, artistic soul with a darker underside but still seeking a Utopian existence, Palmiers du Mal’s 2017.02 collection exerts an increased yearning for anonymity and privacy alongside trademark comfort and ease. This season, the Palmiers playboy embraces his insidious intuition.
Inspired by global influences and ever abiding by the ethos Class, Grass, and Ass, Palmiers du Mal’s 2017.02 collection takes its core inspiration from directional design pieces intended to create a sense of individuality, once again utilizing unique upholstery and global fabrics through an increased investment into fabric sourcing. “The first two collections were defining for the brand, and now we wanted to endeavor to tell a deeper narrative,” says Creative Director Shane Fonner. “We have focused on creating a visual palette that may not entirely vibe with the core ethos of our hypothetical gang of gentleman thieves, creating a disconnect between their nefarious activities and our intrinsically louche, lascivious jet-setter. This collection delves into a villainous underbelly and a criminal underworld, one with class and ethics in a shag-carpeted, wooden-paneled basement, clad in sumptuous pink cottons and merlot-hued velvet.”
Evolving from the outright playboy lifestyle of previous seasons, The Evil Palms collection builds off Palmiers du Mal’s core shapes and introduces new silhouettes that complement the lifestyle. The original Pink Panthers gang is known to be well-educated (almost all members speak 5 languages fluently), having never killed in a robbery, stealing only insured diamonds and relaxing by playing together on a soccer field. Each of these impulses is reflected in the collection, with luxe machine-washable Japanese silk blends in “sleep shirt” shapes, creamy Japanese velvets meeting robust terrycloth on trousers, and Italian knits splayed across a variety of pieces. Heroin-chic inspired, skinny, drapey Japanese silk button-downs in jewel tones set the wearable base of the collection beside plush, lavishly proportioned trousers. Unexpected combinations of textiles are most visible in the layering of pieces, pairing silk accents with more natural fabrics, harnessing the je ne sais quoi that defines the Palmiers playboy. The weighty canvases and African mud cloth accents add a substantial texture that offsets the dainty silks and colorful outerwear.
As a result, the Evil Palms, though bon vivants and notorious rakes in their own right assume an image of roguish sophistication and refinement despite their criminal underpinnings. “It takes a unique, self-assured, and a rather intellectual consumer to wear the luxurious silk and velvet warm-ups, but it looks dangerously marvelous and markedly subversive,” says Fonner.
The second collection of 2017 will be the latest runway outing for Palmiers du Mal, showing for the third time during the CFDA NYFW: Men’s shows on February 1st, 2017 at Skylight Clarkson Square in New York City. “Palmiers’ Mammal of Paradise unleashes his seditious side,” says Fonner. “There’s an overt bad boy quality to this season, but done in delicate tonality. The Palmiers man may be well-educated, well-heeled, athletic, and he certainly won’t be told what to do.”
Backstage
Backstage Photo Credit: Matte Projects – www.MatteProjects.com
