To become a Vogue Business Member and receive the Sustainability Edit publication, click here.
The previous time Emily Adams Bode Aujla showed in Paris, her staff returned to New York ill, and lockdown hit shortly following. After a 3-calendar year hiatus, Bode is again on the men’s agenda on 21 January, the place the brand name will host its initially co-ed show and debut its prolonged-awaited womenswear assortment.
The line will incorporate vintage-impressed attire as nicely as a far more equipped acquire on the brand’s signature shirts, a staple of the menswear which won Bode Aujla the Emerging Designer of the 12 months title at the CFDA Awards in 2019, and Menswear Designer of the Calendar year in 2022. There will also be silk tops, skirts, lingerie and — the bit Bode Aujla is most energized about — a whole selection of knitwear, from chunky jumpers and ornate jacquards to tissue-like cardigans in novelty colours. “People have specific qualms about what they think is flattering, so we want to cater to that,” she clarifies.
Women by now account for half of Bode’s buyer base. “Half of our buyers are girls, which is normal for menswear manufacturers,” she states. “What’s distinctive is that the women of all ages obtaining Bode acquire it for by themselves to don, not just their brothers or associates. I hope persons will continue to shop throughout both equally collections.”
If girls are presently procuring the menswear line, why make anything separate? “The collections go collectively and I want to go on to existing them jointly,” says Bode Aujla. “But we’ve seen a important have to have for clothing for gatherings and I preferred to be ready to provide some thing additional than just placing men’s suits on women’s bodies. It was vital that we introduced new silhouettes for that goal.” The brand’s types are typically boxy and artisanal, generally greatly embroidered and leaning on heritage crafts. The womenswear will not be too substantially of a departure, but will be built to flatter a broader assortment of women’s bodies.
Due to the fact launching the menswear collection in 2016, Bode has whittled it down to a tight edit of core silhouettes carried by international stockists which include Matchesfashion, Browns, Bergdorf Goodman and Ssense. “For the most part, it is two trousers, two shirts, two about-shirts and so on,” claims Bode Aujla. “I’ve labored to build menswear that is boxy and workwear influenced so it feels actually timeless. We had to start out from scratch with womenswear.”
“This is unbelievably fascinating for the brand name, as we normally observed it as a genderless product, and have found a strong urge for food from our feminine prospects to day,” suggests Dean Prepare dinner, head of menswear at Browns. “Despite not conforming to tendencies, the brand name carries on to perform exceptionally nicely. It is just genuinely covetable, timeless solution.”