JULIAANDBEN S/S'14 - The Clothes Maiden Magazine

In this age of fast-fashion, some people want to dissect trends, analyse aesthetics and, moreover, provide a reasoned, cogent response as to why fashion is important – an art, even; or – conversely – some people want to dissect trends, analyse aesthetics and, moreover, provide a reasoned, cogent response as to why fashion is so fickle; an unnecessary evil, even.

But, surely, there must be a convergence point between these two tribes of thought? Surely fashion can have undertones of folly and transience, but still engender an emotional and intellectual response? Surely fashion can have elements of anything and everything, no matter how contradictory?

Well, of course it can: just look at the likes of Alexander McQueen and Céline – labels as forward-thinking in their design as they are in their denotation; labels that celebrate the impermanence and fragility of fashion, but also have a purpose beyond the customary cloaking of one’s body.

And on a more grass-roots level of the high-fashion hierarchy, there’s also JULIAANDBEN.

Julia Heuse and Ben Klunker met as students at the esteemed Berlin design school ESMOD – Ben being in the year above Julia and in possession of an art gallery in Berlin’s most central borough, Mitte – and founded their eponymous fashion label upon graduating in 2007. And now, six years later, they helm one of the coolest menswear and womenswear labels Berlin can boast.

Amalgamating the two disparate experiences and influences that come with being a duo into one cohesive unit can be a ridiculously difficult operation, but all of JULIAANDBEN’s collections tread the tenuous line between avant-garde and accessible, conceptual and classic, practical and aesthetically pleasing so effectively – showing that with equal parts of know-how, artistry and ambition, it is not only possible to create something great, but also to transcend the all-too familiar fashion-trend tropes.

The overarching theme of JULIAANDBEN’s spring/summer ‘14 collection is fragility encased in a framework that suggests strength and self-assurance: a muted monochrome palette – extending from grainy off-whites, through to gunmetal greys and ashy, paint-splattered blacks – augmenting the soft, draped silhouettes as well as the more boxy, oversized ones; unexpected bursts of colour in the forms of the watercolour-esque Red Wall and Fairy scarves; unisex dresses and silk-knit combo jumpers that evoke the caducity and decay of the world around us.

Not only is this what JULIAANDBEN is about, but what fashion is about – equal parts of darkness and light; equal parts of whimsy and analytical worth; equal parts of anything and everything.

Tara Okeke

For more information, visit the JULIAANDBEN website or check out this interview with Julia, courtesty of smart.