The FW24 Collection
Jan-Jan Van Essche’s label was originally conceptualized as an annual fête—his Spring/Summer designs are his only deliveries referred to as collections. However, appetite for his exceptional fabrics implored him to create a series of Fall/Winter offerings as well. These smaller, more focused dispatches are called projects in his Belgian studio. They are often hotly anticipated capsules that explore the intersections of form and texture. His latest, Fall/Winter 2024, is titled Beyond—a reference to the limitless possibilities that lie just outside previously conceived boundaries.
Preconception is near foreign to Jan-Jan. Like other Belgian greats, such as Dries Van Noten and Ann Demeulemeester, he is a designer so accustomed to upending norms that the divinely atypical comes second nature. In flouting tradition, he achieves works of unmistakable prowess.
Not strictly a womens or menswear designer, Jan-Jan’s organic, loose fit pieces flatter all genders. Rather than seek solely virgin fibers, his knit scarves are woven entirely out of selvedge material–each yarn chosen for the color and presence it adds to the weave. Crisply woven kinari cottons mingle with soft hemp fibers and woolen yarns that have been boiled until they are as smooth and shiny as silk.
One of the most notable facets of an original Jan-Jan is its lack of traditional seams and origami-esque construction. Though subtly avant-garde in cut, his garments are often presented in familiar, earthy palettes. Warm notes of camel punctuate this particular delivery, contrasting against the rich black textiles like a midnight sun. Ultimately, this is not a designer defined by the contemporary. Instead, Jan-Jan Van Essche designs beyond our borders, his work a timeless landmark in our aesthetic landscape.
