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EXCLUSIVE: Karl Lagerfeld’s Latest Collaboration Takes a ‘Queer Perspective’

Wading further into gender-neutral territory, the Karl Lagerfeld brand is to collaborate with Spanish men’s wear designer Archie Alled-Martinez, who has been partial to slinky silhouettes and a louche ’70s attitude.

Comprising clothing and accessories, the capsule collection is to launch in June and will “celebrate the brand’s Parisian-chic aesthetic” as it “reimagines the late designer’s vision through a queer perspective,” according to the company.

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“Karl is someone who really marked me,” Alled-Martinez said in a statement shared exclusively with WWD. “This collection is a tribute to him and therefore a tribute to fashion itself.

“Karl’s image was so vibrant and sharp and I really wanted to capture the iconic nature of it all. It’s an ode to those years when I was growing up and absorbing all of this imagery,” he added.

The Alled-Martinez project follows a collaboration with designer Kenneth Ize, another buzzy designer who characterizes his label as gender neutral.

The Karl Lagerfeld brand introduced a unisex capsule with its spring 2021, with the brand explaining that the late founder’s personal style, hinged on white shirts and dark tailoring, lends itself to both genders and is in tune with the current zeitgeist.

For his capsule, Alled-Martinez worked closely with Karl Lagerfeld design director Hun Kim and its style adviser Carine Roitfeld. The designs are still under wraps.

Pier Paolo Righi, chief executive officer of Karl Lagerfeld, said the collaboration “not only puts a spotlight on Karl’s style and the significant impact he’s had on fashion over the years, but it is a uniquely queer celebration of his life.

“The gender-neutral collection showcases his story while offering a bold look at an important aspect of his aesthetic that Archie shares,” he added.

Alled-Martinez is perhaps best known for his tailored knitwear. He was short-listed for the 2020 LVMH Fashion Prize for Young Designers and also picked up a graduate prize in the LVMH competition in 2018.

The Barcelona-born Alled-Martinez is a master’s graduate in fashion knitwear from London fashion school Central Saint Martins. He moved to Paris in 2018 as his graduate prize included a one-year placement at Givenchy.

He launched his signature label for the spring 2020 season and has recently expanded into other categories beyond knitwear.

Alled-Martinez, men’s fall 2022 - Credit: Courtesy of Alled-Martinez
Alled-Martinez, men’s fall 2022 - Credit: Courtesy of Alled-Martinez

Courtesy of Alled-Martinez

For his fall 2022 collection, unveiled digitally during men’s fashion week in Paris earlier this month, he upended the codes of early Aughts Abercrombie & Fitch and reframed them through the lens of today’s queer youth culture.

“In this new generation, I’ve seen the way they express and live their sexuality, it’s nothing like we did when I was a teenager,” the 31-year-old told WWD.

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