Does VTMNTS still have anything to say?

Yesterday the SS22 collection by VTMNTS was presented, a new identity of that Vetements which, when it was still directed by Demna Gvasalia, was one of the most exciting and controversial new brands around – as well as one of the first to launch the streetwear phenomenon. The collection was born under the creative aegis of Guram Gvasalia, Demna's brother and CEO of the brand, and the Gvasalia Family Foundation, the design collective that deals with the creative output of the brand, which should start producing a wide range of branded products if all the trademarks it registered a few months ago can make you guess something.

The collection was accompanied by a "secret project" on Instagram and showed a certain freshness of attitude even in its show notes that speak of the "dinosaurs of the industry" that take the new generation underfoot and that in general disputes with a certain adherence to the truth the problems of the fashion industry as if , until a few seasons ago, the brand was not even part of it. Nevertheless, the words are decidedly stronger than the looks, as the official press release reads this sentence bordering on iconoclasm: "Our goal is to give the young, cool generation the same quality feeing that Hermes gives their sophisticated clientele".

The collection consists of 100 looks, less than the 129 of the last collection but still at least twice as many as those seen for more classic collections, which would like to be symbolic of a "100% commitment" to improving the fashion industry. Once again, the press release shows a new and fresh voice that speaks of the brand, contesting the great fashion conglomerates, the brands inaugurated by celebrities and the fatuous trends; announcing the arrival of something game-changing, a sort of platform for new independent brands, on which, however, no further details are given.

Among other news: the brand announces that it will not seed with influencers and, above all, that it will replace the logo with a barcode because VTMNTS "is a brand for those who [...] they do not want to wear huge logos", except that already at the second look there is a shirt with VTMTNS written in the center of the chest, topped by the new logo-barcode that is repeated on the belt. More interesting are the LGBT-positive t-shirts that say phrases I kissed a boy and I liked it... or they are printed with the various pronoxes; as well as the combo of sleeveless top + opera glove that actually has a bit of edgy although even here the logos and lettering are a bit everywhere and Balenciaga introduced LGBT-themed t-shirts last season. 

In general, however, there has been a slight change compared to the past: if the clothes themselves remain firmly in the sown already traced by all the previous collections of the post-Demna era of the brand, even if the silhouettes and proportions are significantly normalized, the renewed anti-establishment vocation, at least in words, sounds pleasant and sincere in a world of press notes very institutional and self-convinced of their importance. The idea of not seeding with influencers is also beautiful, although it will have to see how it will work on a commercial and marketing level, while, as we have seen before, the intention not to fill the clothes with logos is betrayed practically immediately considered as the same accompanying image, two shaved guys intent on kissing, contains two looks with the all-over prints of that logo.

The smart move behind this rebranding probably lies in having eliminated the useless Parisian fashion patina that had remained on the old Vetements and having made it reborn in a new form – a sort of luxury streetwear more suitable for the masses and especially for Gen Z and its most edgy members, a type of market share that the rest of fashion does not really touch. Probably the new VTMNTS has the cards to become a new phenomenon for the next generations – but perhaps we will have to wait for the new name to also correspond to the arrival of a new designer, a new angle of reading and, ultimately, a new personality.