For its Fall/Winter 2021men’s and women’scollection, LES BENJAMINS takes racing culture as the starting point and marks a return to its cultural roots.In this sense, the collection designed by Bunyamin Aydin, LES BENJAMINS’ Creative Director, explores Turkish rally culture from the 70s and 80s and pays a tribute to Turkey’s rally icons Renç Koçibey, Serdar Bostanci, and Ali Sipahi. Les Benjamins women’s collection was inspired by a fusion of Turkey’s rally heritage and French pilot Michèle Mouton’s iconic style.
Classical racewear codes are subverted to set new standards, and, as such, the dynamism of motorsport-inspired clothingis merged with athleisure to create a new sense of proportion and function.
Defined in two chapters —‘’rally-style’’ and ‘’crash & repair’’ —the collection's garments narrate the entire cycle of a rally, from the pilot’s mental preparation to the actual race. In this context, style and performance are the collection's spiritual and functional pillars and are translated into a rich range of tailored silhouettes, experimental textures, and bold patterns in earthy hueswith eye-popping dashes of magenta.
Juxtaposition is key this season, which is why vintage racing uniforms are reinterpreted with a sharp street culture twist. The track clothes mimic the actual rally in its boldness and stark contrasts: while going through this Fall/Winter 2021 collection, one can perfectly imagine how heavily-modded cars emblazoned with bright sponsor logos engage in off-track racing punctuated by jaw-dropping, wild landscapes and occasional wrecks.
Raw and utilitarian aesthetics are
therefore at the core of this collection, which is why Aydin set his mind on
experimenting with natural fabric treatments that come with an artisanal feel.
The menswear and womenswear staples from this collection include distressed
carpet jacquard, oil spill prints on polar fleece, natural shimmery cupro,
printed denim, light woven knitwear, and vegetal leather.
