May, 3rd, 2013

Abidjan + Paris | LAURENCEAIRLINE | Swinging Koutoukou 2013 !

With typical panache, LAURENCEAIRLINE has named her third collection after a tropical drink from the Ivory Coast, Koutoukou.

Summer 2013 is going to be one swinging cocktail party ! A real favourite in West African culture, Bazin is a traditional damask cotton well known for its almost plastic sheen and keeping its wearers cool. It’s this collection’s most vibrant guest.

LAURENCEAIRLINE has also, once again, created marvellous pieces out of Wax Cotton. This season it’s festooned with fan patterns, baroque Moroccan frescoes and Japanese etchings. These two exquisite fabrics come together in an explosion of complementary hues. The designer plays with the contrasts and connections between the textures, setting off the sheen of the Bazin against the cotton poplins and colourful matt wax prints.

Added to the mix are the perfectly mastered subtleties of LAURENCEAIRLINE, such as the vintage style yokes with a dog wallpaper pattern sewn into the shirts and the cornelian embroidery details which embellish the ‘Face’ shirt. The designer hasn’t forgotten her little nod to women’s wear and over-sized shirts with multi-coloured cut-outs complete the collection.

These are accompanied by a selection of high-waisted shorts and cigarette trousers, available in block coloured Bazin and printed Wax. Combining artisanal techniques with contemporary shapes, this third springtime collection is imbued with a variety of favourite motifs. With a fresh, nonchalant and urban silhouette this is ready-to-wear for the zeitgeist man.

LAURENCEAIRLINE is a menswear label and conscious project based between Abidjan and Paris.

LAURENCEAIRLINE brings together a path between cultures drawing contemporary timeless basic silhouettes with deep African roots.

Re-imagining the African continent’s cultural inheritance in a way that fashion and ethnic cultures can successfully collaborate to create possibilities for the future is the driving force behind LAURENCEAIRLINE.

The entire line is made in accordance with conscious and sustainable manufacturing practices in LAURENCEAIRLINE workshop in Ivory Coast, where local people are trained to produce high quality garments following international standard.

Valuing bold aesthetics and sustainable development, the label merges creativity coming from Africa with the sophisticated standards of modern societal way of life. In that frame, worldwide sold LAURENCEAIRLINE collections help build Africa’s modern reality into the international fashion scene.

LAURENCEAIRLINE was founded in 2010 by Laurence Chauvin-Buthaud and she would like to thank the people who helped her giving birth to the LaurenceAirline’s project: Christina Schatzedzer, Zohaer Majhadi, Philippe Galowich, Renaud Chauvin-Buthaud.