There’s a new designer in town. A few weeks ago, Winnie founder Idris Balogun and his wife, Sira, relocated from Vicenza, Italy, to Paris. The reason: as the newly-appointed head of menswear at Lacoste, Balogun is negotiating a new city, another foreign language and a host of responsibilities while also forging ahead, with his new boss’s blessing, on the passion project he named after his grandmother.
No wonder the spring outing was rooted in change. Following on from a fall collection inspired by the Beatniks came a lineup inspired in part by the pioneering punk group Bad Brains—one of Balogun’s faves—and worn in this look book by the Parisian multi-disciplinary artist Oko Ebombo in an orange Ziggy wig.
“For me, punk is an attitude. Taking things from your grandfather’s closet and making it cool is what intrigues me,” Balogun said during a preview.
Subculture or no, Balogun is a hands-on guy and Winnie is based on tailoring and craft. A deep burgundy jacket with removable sleeves could be worn as a shirt, a jacket, or peekaboo depending on how it is snapped. A direct nod to Bad Brains came in elevated jumpsuits in Prince of Wales check or cotton twill, which Balogun designed as “janitor by day, rock star by night.” The Prince of Wales returned in an intentionally imperfect tennis jacket that could be worn as a shirt or a jacket, depending. Separates, like a striped popover and suits made artisanally in Biella, looked crisp and strong.
This collection was intentionally tight, Balogun allowed. It will be interesting to watch what becomes of Winnie as he navigates his new reality.
