It’s hard to talk about R13 without mentioning its inventive takes on denim. The brand caters to a streetwise, oftentimes gender-ambiguous, crowd, and this season’s denim offerings certainly speak to that ultracool, deconstructed aesthetic. “The thing is, we sort of always want to take the stand to be the leader and coming up with these concepts,” designer Chris Leba said of the new double-hem designs. “How do you do something newer, but still address the psychology of the public and what they’re interested in at a moment?”
On jeans, Leba experimented with hem treatments in a playful, nontraditional way, layering laser-shredded hems over cleaner legs from a different, darker denim wash. Jackets, similarly, combined the top half of one design with the bottom half of another for a raw, graphic contrast. Other torn and tattered jeans with exaggerated cuffs and hybrid designs played to a DIY quality. Paired with newly introduced high-top sneakers in various prints and vibrant soles, the overall mood was classic R13 grunge.
The rest of the resort offering was more tailored, referencing Elvis and a wholesome American spirit that Leba handled with a modern hand. Mechanic’s suits and shirting were influenced by the Fifties, while sportswear with digital prints of Elvis’ mugshot from 1956 were more literal in interpretation. Less literal were roomy blazers, Army jackets and shirt dresses with hand-embroidered graffiti drawings and text messages that added a sense of subversion.