The Tamesis
Yigal Azrouël is the kind of designer who prioritizes technology over flash.
The most exciting moments in Azrouël’s Resort 2027 are not necessarily revealed. In an example of fashion cross-pollination, he successfully mixed a cashmere sweater and a denim jacket into a crewneck sweater, with blue denim fading into soft gray cashmere. It’s a process Azrouël has developed over the years, involving painstaking washing, gluing and brushing. “It takes a long time,” he said. “It’s handmade, so each piece will look different.”
Azrouël also continues to experiment with leather, such as in an ultralight funnel-neck trench coat. “It doesn’t look like leather, but it’s very, very refined,” he said. “When you touch it, it feels like nylon.” Elsewhere, he crafted a sports trench coat – a particular standout in the collection – which he noted was also windproof. To achieve this technique, Azruel shaved the leather paper-thin and reinforced it on the back.
Azruel retained his treatise on male-female encounters as a resort, but added some preparation to his otherwise standard offerings. While it’s certainly welcome to see him push himself, it’s his commitment to technological innovation that sets him apart. Apparently, it’s paying off—the designer just opened a new store on Madison Avenue. For Azrouël, it’s an opportunity to attract new Upper East Side customers. “Daughters and mothers can shop there — we can all buy it,” he said.
