The collection dreamed up by JW Anderson and A.P.C. draws its inspiration from Joseph Beuys’s performance I Like America and America Likes Me. In May 1974, the German artist flew from Dusseldorf to New York. As a sign of protest against the Vietnam War, he was transported in an ambulance to and from the plane, wrapped in a felt blanket “to not see America (…) and to be isolated from the outside world,” before being locked in the René Block Gallery for three days with a coyote.
Beuys’s work is never interpreted in a literal way. The rather rough wool of the duffle coat subtly recalls the felt. However, the ambulance and the gallery address (409 West Broadway) are graphic reference points that we find on the boldly colored T-shirts and the interior of various pieces. The collection is designed as an ideal wardrobe that Jonathan Anderson himself would like to wear. Made for women and men, it revolves around two silhouettes. The first, more fitted and rocker, includes black denim, a biker jacket and hand-painted cotton knit. The second is more hippie, with looser shapes, multicolored knitwear and used denim. This is the first time that A.P.C. offers a piece with a torn, stonewashed effect created with a laser, without any chemical processes.
Generally speaking, the collection plays with “classic” hallmarks and pays special attention to details: from the finest jersey for T-shirts, the best knit for sweaters,, the historic duffle coat with its rope trim and integrated whistle, a Cornishware teapot and a tote bag in ultra-sturdy canvas that closes with an XXL zipper.
“This project was about learning and the excitement of a new collaboration. It made sense where I’m at in terms of fashion. It felt natural. We have this fascination for reinventing things that don’t need to be reinvented, but glorified instead, which I think is more exciting. What A.P.C. is amazing at is it doesn’t feel over-egged. It has just the right amount of now,” points out Jonathan Anderson.
“For me, the work meetings with Jonathan have always been a very quick and productive ping-pong game. When I brought an idea, he immediately transformed it into something better. It’s a sort of limitless hyperlink, like automatic writing applied to clothing, accessories and images,” emphasizes Jean Touitou. “Thanks to Jonathan, we were able to go a little farther than usual in terms of originality and explorations. Let’s take Joseph Beuys’s ambulance and follow him on his chimeric journey.”
