The Tamesis
Youth can cast a long shadow. Take Chris Leba, who first came to New York in 1987: in a way, this is still the core of his popular brand R13. Of course, the ’80s were a heady time in fashion, and many enduring touchstones—the punk movement, Vivienne Westwood, Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo, and later Hedi Slimane and Leba’s 20 years designing at Ralph Lauren—still have a strong influence on his work.
“You absorb all this stuff over the years,” Leba said. “When you need to do something… it’s not conscious, but it becomes a mix.” For vacation, he added the Gallic charm of Françoise Hardy. This is reflected in sailor-striped T-shirts and knitwear, decadent military coats and skinny high-waisted jeans. The dominant silhouette has a strictness that collides with a certain insouciance. Upon closer inspection, Leba added a raw, rebellious feel—shirts were cut and pieced at geometric angles, knitwear was shredded and hems were left unfinished, and the looks were paired with chunky boots or pointy-toed loafers embellished with hardware. Different styles of leather jackets dominated many of the looks, some with strong 80s shoulder pads, others with cropped cuts that were classic and form-fitting. “I like the classics of these things,” he said. “But then you’re screwed.”
The second part of the collection was more punk-heavy, with a plethora of tartan here and there, including more patchwork grunge shift dresses, roomy, bleach-stained shirts, low-crotch trousers (Comme’s energy) and raw-edged pleated kilts. To bring an unexpected touch of femininity, some plaid was just a whisper on sheer organza cocoon tops and skirts. T-shirts, meanwhile, feature laser-cut holes and sporty elements appear in motocross pants made from jersey, leather and cotton. “We played with proportions and shapes a lot,” Leba notes. “But try to keep that edginess and balance while maintaining a classy, sophisticated look.”
As always, the clever thing about R13 is that, despite their rebellious spirit, the garments are made from high-quality Italian and Japanese fabrics. While the word “craft” brings to mind hand-stitched fashion or tailoring, Leba applied it to rock ‘n’ roll effect: laser-cut holes, rivets, bleaching and other treatments gave punk an overbearing feel. “Fashion is a form of entertainment,” he said. “These things are always very wearable but still fun and dramatic.”
