This season, Swedish-Columbian menswear designer Alex Mattsson showcased his new threads with a short film, Divine Resonance; first shown in the Somerset House cinema space, and now premiering online right here!
The promo’s directed by stylish storyteller Chris Murdoch – who previously collaborated with Alex on Gliptolith – and shows off the collection in all its psychoactive glory: tight bandanas, plaids melting into Enter The Void-style computer hallucinations, and leather combat-gilets with a Gears of War feel to them. We caught up with Alex and Chris to chat about subwoofers and synaesthesia, WWF and YouTube.
Hi Alex! Can you tell us about the inspirations for the new collection? Divine Resonance spring/summer 12 is inspired by all things divine, and the clues to a higher intelligence that we can see almost everywhere, such as the full colour spectrum revealed by a split beam of natural light or the perfect fractal patterns created by audio resonance. Audio resonance in particular has been a great inspiration for spring/summer 12, such as the sub-bass frequencies (1-200 Hz) where the sound spectrum physically touches and moves you. All things, including humans, have a natural frequency. When the right frequency meets the right object/person it can create strong, sometimes disastrous resonant oscillations. I have tendencies of sound-colour synaesthesia, where audio frequencies and sounds inspire moving visualisations of shapes and colours in my mind, so I’ve always found frequencies immensely inspiring. The work and philosophy of painter and mystic Alex Grey has also had a big influence on the concept… And a more tangible part of the inspiration is old-school, stripped down bobber motorbikes and the people that build and ride them.
What’s the music and why did you choose it? The soundtrack is Bring the Hammer Down by a band called The Highway Murderers, formed by a chapter of a Californian motorbike crew called The Sinners. There was a documentary about them – called Choppertown The Sinners – which I found hugely inspiring. The bikes they build (bobbers and rat bikes) are simple and pragmatic yet incredibly beautiful! And the classic lines and use of materials of these bikes was something that I wanted to resonate through the collection. I also found The Sinners’ lifestyle very intriguing: living in the desert, building their own motorbikes, skating and surfing, making their own music and partying hard. They seem free.
What are your three fave YouTube videos right now?
1. Ancient Aliens: Aliens And Ancient Engineers
2. The Highway Murderers – Bring the Hammer Down
3. Stanton Warriors – Precinct ft. Eboi
So Chris, where did you film the video, and how was the shoot? We filmed in Dungeness. It started pissing it down as soon as we parked up and then the car broke down on the way to the second location, so it could have gone smoother. Also I drove, which was a bad idea.
What inspired the feel of the video? WWF entrances.
What are your three fave YouTube videos right now?
1. Lil’ Kim on House of Style (No Copyright Infringement Intended)
2. Cute Kitten Hugs His Teddy Bear (with Music)
3. Brandon Flowers – Only The Young
Text: Dean Kissick
Director: Chris Murdoch
Styling: Madeleine Østlie
Editor: Daniel Deville
Fashion Assistant: Savvas Amiridis
Models: Didyer Zarate @ AMCK, Daniel Ayettey
