A blank canvas that allows us to dream again in a world full of optimism and brilliance. The Spring 22 collection by Sportmax is a snowy fantasy with surprising pops of color.
To present their Spring 22 collection, Sportmax turned a warehouse into a completely white space–the runway a blank page upon which to start from scratch and write a future of infinite possibilities.
The collection, entitled “The Anatomy of Silence,” is a metaphor written in clothing. During the show, the background music and models went silent for a moment, and we heard the phrase “Silence and love are the only translatable languages. Silence and love are the only untranslatable languages .” I like to think that this phrase refers to the idea of a universal language, a language that can be expressed through clothing. It is through the garments we wear that we communicate who we are to the world and show our personality. We do all of this without saying a single word. Like silence and love–two concepts that everyone is familiar with–clothing is a means of communication that speaks to everyone regardless of where they are from. And, that is where the second phrase comes in: even though our clothing communicates something, it might not be communicating what we want to say. I think this is the goal of the Sportmax collection, to take something simple like a piece of cloth and transform it into something whose meaning is deeper and makes us feel something.
And, that is what happened in this runway show. The first feeling I had when entering that great white space was one of grandeur. At that moment, I was part of something bigger but at the same time I was sharing a space with people from over the world. It’s a sensation that we only feel at shows, concerts, stadiums, and so on.
In the middle of this “empty” space, we saw beautiful garments created by the craftspeople of the Sportmax atelier. The Spring 22 show was a beautiful dance performed by models that floated to the sound of acoustic music. More than a runway, it was a performance about sound and the movement of textiles, a show that activated our senses. We saw flowing cotton and linen dresses with casual finishes that gave off a natural and organic aesthetic. They were almost like unfinished pieces but at the same time had details that gave each one a unique sense of beauty. The impressive thing about this collection is that each look invited us to take a moment and really appreciate the making of the garments– the time and the amount of work invested in them.
I loved the evolution of the collection and the story told through the color palette, in which a base of off-white and nude garments were contrasted with bright tones like fuchsia, lime green, or lilac, like small flashes of the past or future. Each of these pops of color took my breath away. I loved the long-sleeved draped midi dress in lavender (and the icing on the cake was getting to see Mexican model Krini Hernandez wear this look on the runway). Another outfit that I loved was the black satin dress cinched at the waist creating a silhouette that resembled the bud of a flower. Finally, the long-sleeved romper with the balloon detail on the arms in electric fuchsia is a must-have for my wardrobe next season.
Sportmax has managed to capture the greatness and magnificence of silence and translate it into one of the most enigmatic and beautiful collections of the season. It is a love letter written with cloth and thread.
XO
Sira
