Abasi Rosborough F/W19 – “Paradigm”

Abdul Abasi: “For our AW19 collection, we went back to our roots to focus on our core principles — the convergence of flexible tailoring, military utility, and active sportswear. It was important for us to include our customers in the design process by giving each store the option to select exclusive deadstock fabrics. The goal was to create unique product for each store, which reflects the specific tastes and needs of their business — wherever in the world, or for whatever climate, that may be. Through this process, we also create a more sustainable and compelling product for the end user.”

Greg Rosborough: “This collection revisits themes from our pasts — Abdul, the young aesthete and military sergeant stationed in Europe. Me, growing up in Tucson, shy, playing basketball — obsessed with the boldness of my heroes Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson. You’ll see all of those influences in there, the Chicago Bull red, the military details. And we synthesize all of that through the things we are into — futurism, classical tailoring, modern design theory, architecture.

There is so much clothing that survives on irony and impermanence out there right now — to our eyes, it felt right to do something with a permanent, intrinsic, lasting feeling. Like Brancusi or Rodin sculptures in a museum that will last across time. We haven’t been the crunchy granola designers waving the sustainability flag, but we have always talked about the responsibility we have in our work to create things with integrity. This collection pulled the curtain back on that process, and allowed our stores around the world to choose from amongst our deadstock inventory. We wanted to romance that rawness to refinement — raw fabric to fully executed design. As we go forward, and by ‘we’ I mean humankind, it’s critical that there is more discussion about where things come from, and what goes into them, and if they have any true value.”