Soulland, which pulled back from shows a few seasons ago, presented a fairly formulaic fall collection by appointment. Silhouettes stayed mostly static, while textiles (note the neon tapestry floral) and prints changed. There’s a wonderful “logo” print made from a pencil drawing by Silas Adler’s son, where the s in the brand name is turned into a dollar sign. The designer has also created a relational narrative by combining a print of a painting of a landscape with that of a snow-shoe hare. When he found the latter, Adler explained, “I was like, that’s perfect, that’s Soulland: small, but with a big energy and on fragile ground.
Adler took a step toward firmer terrain by working with jeans, garments he isn’t drawn to for himself. “The only denim that I had a feeling for was ’90s hip-hop denim from New York—Sean John and Ecko….” Adler interpreted that inspiration by applying utility-style topstitching to dark-wash fabric. These pieces feel related to the designer’s skateboarding background. It’d be good to see him bring that forward more; there’s power in fashion that feels personal.
