Ivy Kirk SS24
The cult New York designer drops her new summer '24 collection. By THE FALL
It was back in the pandemic-hit SS21 issue of THE FALL when we first featured cult New York fashion designer Ivy Kirk and her delicate, feminine aesthetic with the ultra-contemporary graphic edge. A formative creative upbringing that took in the famous Parson’s School of Design and stints at Kate Spade developed her eye with a near-European chic sensibility that can clearly been seen in the new Ivy Kirk collection for SS24.
What becomes immediately obvious with her new story is how much of it is built on circular graphic motifs, as though they were metaphors for the cycles of fashion itself. “Last season, I was presenting my collection to a stylist on the final day of my showroom in Paris,” Kirk explains. “In that moment, I had the realisation that circles were a recurrent element in all of my previous collections. I began to notice circles everywhere – in my own work and randomly going about daily life – the “o” in the “Prospect Park” subway sign, a manhole cover, the detail on the facade of a Brooklyn row house, the studs on a stranger’s handbag, the centre of a flower….”
Crisp shirts with short ruffled sleeves, wide skirts cut in circular silhouettes, neat T-Shirts and cute shorts with drawstring waists all sport bold circular patterns in eye-catching graphic freehand. Even dresses, blouses and tops see distinct floral patterns made up of circles presented in circles. Everywhere you look there’s a story within a story, inviting the observer to study ever closer to receive the full effect of Kirk’s artistic intentions. “I like that circles are continuous and unending, yet also complete,” declares the designer.
Of course, a starkly monochrome palette remains the mainstay for the brand, not only for the collection but also for the beautifully shot images by Kirk’s long-time creative collaborator, and mother, photographer Julia Gorton. It all just goes to show that when it comes to vintage-contemporary style and Ivy Kirk, some things really are just that black and white.
To read our last feature on Ivy Kirk, click here
Click here for more information on Ivy Kirk SS24
