Mark Fast Fall Winter 2011 - 2012 from London Fashion Week - Dietrich Coat
Mark Fast returned to Canada and presented a tightly edited version of his London Fashion Week fall winter 2011 – 2012 collection. This was the first time he has presented a fashion show in Canada. The fall winter collection was the debut of his collaboration with Canadian leather retailer Danier. This was one of three shows presented at the Trump Tower Toronto which is still under construction.
“Things are not what they seem to be, they are mysterious and disguised. I used the energy of the movement of a wolf’s vicious anger to be projected into the cuts of knitted pieces and leather garments. I am using merino wool and elastomeric mixes in the knitted dresses. I wanted to create a softer, warmer silhouette. I also used leathers to evoke the strictness and attitude of this women”. – Mark Fast (from press release)
Mark Fast Fall Winter 2011 - 2012 from London Fashion Week - Big Bad Wolf Coat
It was a total delight to see the knitwear wizard’s collection up close. The knits are so intricate and I loved the play on textures. Wool, alpacha, merino, mohair joined with nylon, polymaide and elastane to create a number of knits of different thickness and designs. Mark worked with the Woolmark Company to produced the these amazing innovations in natural luxury fibers. It was all very sexy with the strategic cutouts and sheer panels. My favourite pieces are the Big Bad Wolf Coat, the Wolf’s Tooth dress in orange and the amazing Dietrich coat.
Mark Fast Fall Winter 2011 - 2012 from London Fashion Week
I loved the leather pieces. I’m hoping the leather high-waist trousers and cropped parka made it to production. The Danier x Mark Fast collaboration will use pieces from Mark’s fall winter 2011 – 2012 collection as inspiration for the line. Obviously, Danier has to think about how to translate these fashion forward designs into something more palatable by the masses. I’m hoping Danier has some e-commerce options worked out for fall because I can see a demand from international customers.
While I enjoyed the Mark Fast fall winter 2011 – 2012 collection it seemed the leather collaboration didn’t integrate with Mark’s design aesthetic as much as I would have liked. I was hoping to see some amazing leather and knit combinations. The lack of those pieces made it seem as if they were two separate collections, leather and knits. The London show was much longer and had more leather. It easier to see the difference. I think this is because I’ve put Mark into this knitwear pigeonhole and I’m having a rough time getting past it. That being said, I’m still excited as all hell to buy some Mark Fast x Danier leather in the fall.
Instead of photos I took video of the Mark Fast Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 fashion show.
See the entire Mark Fast Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection from London Fashion Week.
images courtesy of knotpr and Mark Fast.