The New Nostalgia

Fashion has always referenced history, but these designers are literally bringing back the past with a sense of renewal and regeneration.

- Debby Kwong

In recent years, big names like Prada, Raf Simons, and Gucci have re-examined their past to revive previous seasons’ designs and codes for their contemporary collections. Both a creative and commercial gesture, this not only demonstrates the enduring beauty of fashion, but also how the industry has decided that it is better to be more sustainable than to chase fast-fashion trends. Plus, it helps to recruit a new generation of consumers.

One of the latest is Raf Simons’ Archive Redux, launched in January 2021. Available at Dover Street Market Singapore, the collection is a reissue of 100 pieces charting 25 years of the brand. Standouts include the slogan-print cotton sweatshirt from SS ’02 , and a roll-neck logo-embroidered modal-blend top from FW ’98.

“I had a lot of reactions from young people who wanted pieces, and who were not even born when we were making certain pieces, and I was thinking a lot about access, that it is a pity that we cannot offer them anymore,’ says Simons.

And remember the pussy-bow blouses, pleated skirts and fur loafers that Alessandro Michele introduced at his debut for Gucci in 2015? Some bestsellers, including the floral print silk plisse dresses and pleated leather skirts, have been reissued for the Ouverture collection, which launched late 2020. It marks a new chapter for Gucci as the brand announced that it will go seasonless, bidding farewell to fashion week.