PATINA PHILOSOPHY: KIM MESCHES CRACKS THE CODE WITH COLLECTION 6
KIM MESCHES COLLECTION 6 ★ PHOTOGRAPHED BY DEAN ISIDRO ★ PHOTO ASSIST BY JAMES JOSEPH BRIEN ★ MODEL AMY HIXSON ★ HAIR BY NETTY JORDAN ★ MAKEUP BY L.B. CHARLES ★ BTS BY ERICA JORDAN ★ WORDS BY LOUIS LE
SPECIAL THANKS TO LINDSEY SOLOMON OF LINDSEY MEDIA
In look one, heat-activated silicone guards our heroine’s bodice as her humanity cascades below in a nude mesh.
In an age when trends strike at hyper stellar speeds and go as soon as they come; Kim Mesches dares to ask how clothes might age if the bustle were to freeze for Just. One. Second. Painted in bold strokes only, Collection 6 imagines a cyber-surrealist world where art, nature, and technology blur lines through the synthesis of metallics and natural materials. Fabric manipulation is the name of Kim’s game, and no stone was left unturned in his quest for material treatments. From heat-activated silicone to sculpted epoxy and a splash of bleached jersey panels, an insatiable hunger for experimentation enabled Mesches to push fabric to its very limits. Though construction varied greatly among the pieces, Collection 6’s through-line was an inventive copper patina that oxidized over 24 hours into a sprightly teal. In the green-blue, incongruence peeks through. The studio’s sculptural garments immortalize cloth’s evanescent flow, but when paired with the patina, conflicting evidence of aging is revealed. Fabric, frozen in body and soul, yet copper continues to fade— a narrative of maturation in stillness is born.
An “Echo,” the audience has lost sight of her humanity, just as she’s lost sight of herself. The line between protection and prison blur.
By look three, an “Echo” becomes a “Totem” as our hero’s rendered a shell of herself; now fully consumed by layered yarn in copper patina.
Time has passed in look four, and it seems she’s entirely consumed by the cast and loose crochet that lay waste to her planet. Our protagonist is still trapped in “Threads,” but in her imprisonment, she finds release from her steely guard.
“Wrapped” in her feelings, she finally sheds her guard to reveal a new nakedness.
Our heroine’s corroded armor has become a chrome reflection of her freed heart! Woman becomes “Titan.”
Conflict never strays far behind our girl. In look seven, she crafts a new “Barrier,” one free of convoluted ego.
Calm before the storm, humanity envelopes her in the form of textured silicone and heat-activated silicone.
“Discord” is here. A vicious battle persists. The exhaustion weighs her down, but a hero must persist.
War is over. Inner peace is founded on the acceptance of personhood’s treacherous depths.
In look 11, our heroine is a “Vessel” of courage. Her heart envelops her bodice, for it is stronger than any armor she once had.
She’s trudged through the depths of her soul and is now basking in the light of a healing world.
Rain breaks over what was once a barren planet. The woman of courage has finally uncovered her strength, and she’s found freedom in her humanity, flaws and all. Now, our hero is in ‘Bloom.’
