NEW YORK FASHION WEEK/ — Inspired by vintage ice skating costumes, the Amehl Fall/Winter 2018 collection has taken its cue from the ongoing Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang. With the presentation of awards and medals as the theme, the label’s founder Amanda Mehl proposed wild and experimental looks that are playful, spontaneous and glam.
The fifth collection since Mehl, who is also an interdisciplinary artist founded the label, the Fall/Winter 2018 presentation is part of an ongoing project in which the designer projects an alter ego who is successful and loves to show off on social media.
The project is a critique of corporate art, curated online displays of success and obsession with perfection, the American Dream and the “hustle” mentality that trolls the internet with clichés that is supposed to be motivational but come off rather aggressive in her eyes.
In this series the artist poses with friends and family who pretend to be prominent people from fictional organizations that give her awards, checks, balloons, confetti, champagne, and the works. This fashion show was a live rendition of this series while the new collection was displayed with 45 models in the pretense of an award ceremony.
The artist hopes to challenge the way viewers interact with art and fashion. Humor is always prevalent in her work and she is fascinated by ceremonies. Religious rituals, weddings, ribbon cuttings and grand openings have been themes of her previous art shows so naturally the award ceremony was anticipated and a fitting way to present a fabulous collection.
Born in Buenos Aires, Amanda Mehl emigrated to New York with her family in the early 90s and lived and worked as an artist in Tel Aviv for most of her 20s. Her work is prolific and dynamic, from sculpture installation to performance and web-based art, and most recently fashion.
Amehl was launched in 2015 and had its NYFW debut last year with the FW17 collection shown inside a school bus. The following NYFW Amanda staged a parade in the garment district displaying her vibrant collection publicly on the streets.
In 2017 Mehl was also invited by the municipality of Guangzhou to show her collection in Guangzhou International Fashion Week. Her experience in China was filled with formalities and kitschy ceremonies which inspired the idea for the Fall/Winter 2018 fashion show.
Photos courtesy of Amehl
