These assemblages also played with the concept of putting on a facade, which was also addressed in a more immediately recognizable way in the sweater dress worn by Delfine Bafort. The hem was extended and only the front was attached to the body of the sweater, which was worn across the body. It hung from the neck with strings of pearls, leaving it backless, and the model’s hands slipped through the cuffs, creating a bat-wing effect. The result was a kind of paper doll flatness that was very intriguing.
The tin cans Vestbø mentioned were the round tops of cookie jars that are often repurposed as sewing boxes and have become a meme theme. A plate used for the same purpose was wrapped tightly in nylon and fitted into the head hole of a T-shirt. This was styled as a sort of waist wrap over white jeans and chicly paired with a Flash Dance style top. That off-the-shoulder style wasn’t the only ’80s reference in the collection; there were also super high-cut tights, some purple velvet and a micro-mini made from a twisted piece of quilted material in lingerie pink.
So far, All-In’s practice has included surrealist touches (chance encounters with found objects) and collages. Lotta Volkova, who has modeled for the brand, helped ground All-In a bit as it prepared for growth and collaborated with Barron and Vestbø to create and style this campy collection, which is more sassy than sweet used to be. The dreaminess was missing, as befits the storyline, but there is more to it. Assembly and deconstruction are the main techniques with which Barron and Vestbø transform old clothes into new clothes with Cindarella, now pattern making is part of the game: in the future they will have to be less connected to one-off materials, shifting the dynamic. from kitsch in the brand, from the fabrics to the story surrounding it.
While Barron noted that “an element of randomness” remains important in the brand’s process, the designers are developing new ways of working in the interest of the company’s growth. After launching shoes for spring 2023, the duo worked this season on clothes that could be created from patterns and put into production. “One thing we’ve come to realize,” he said, “is that it’s exciting for us, and I think for other people too, to make these unique pieces, but it’s also exciting to see how people use the clothes. wear.”
