Situationist (Q9155)
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Situationist is a fashion house from FMD.
| Language | Label | Description | Also known as |
|---|---|---|---|
| English | Situationist |
Situationist is a fashion house from FMD. |
Statements
Situationist designer Irakli Rusadze held his show at Bassiani, a drained Soviet swimming pool that now serves as the city’s main techno club. This past May, Bassiani was the site of controversy after police stormed the club in search of drugs and violently arrested several people. As a response, clubgoers held protests in the form of a rave at the city’s parliament, using the hashtag #WeDanceTogetherWeFightTogether. Rusadze took the phrase and created a capsule line of T-shirts to benefit the club. (Soon after, for their Spring 2019 collection, Vetements used the hashtag in their Georgia-themed collection.) Now, Rusadze’s shirts are on display, stuffed in a large plastic structure at the club’s entrance.There is no doubt that Rusadze has homegrown pride and a genuine love for his country, and they radiate through his collections—each has been related to Georgia in some way or another. This season, he used Bassiani as a meeting ground between old and new Georgia, utilizing ancient dress and the ’90s styles that first put him on the map as jumping-off points. Rusadze’s interpretations of both eras were impressive. One dress had what could be compared to pointed piano-key adornments spreading across the chest to arms, creating tiny ridges on the shoulders. It was actually a version of the country’s traditional robe, thechokha. This look was apopular trenda few seasons ago, both in Tbilisi and abroad—Georgian-born David Koma used it, too—but Rusadze’s abstract take on thechokha’s decorative bullet cartridges was fresh.On a more contemporary note, there was a great Georgian “dad look” in the mix: an oversize camp shirt, tailored trousers with a braided leather belt, and square-toe sandals. (Rusadze is no longer the creative director of Georgian menswear label Aznauri, so it was great to seem him making men’s clothes for his main line.) Always one for stellar leatherwork, Rusadze included a long bombshell evening dress with a keyhole cutout at the chest. (Paging Situationist fan Bella Hadid.) At the end of the show, a vibrating wave of classical piano music took over—quite the change from the throbbing techno that usually plays at the club. The models stood on a balcony, making for quite a powerful homage to the country.
9 November 2018
Irakli Rusadze, of the buzzy, celebrity-beloved Situationist label, wanted to show his collection at a Georgian women’s prison about an hour outside Tbilisi. Due to confusion with last-minute paperwork, his plan didn’t work out. Instead, he presented at a small warehouse about 20 minutes from the city center. The shift worked in his favor: The show was more about the clothes than the try-hard location.Lately, Rusadze has shifted his aesthetic from post-Soviet to grown-up sophistication. He’s now creating more classic, even office-ready pieces, like a butter-soft, light-as-a-feather burnt orange leather jacket, a solo-button blazer, and a chocolate brown cropped jacket with wide-leg matching trousers. After the current interest in Georgia wanes, his attention to quality will keep this label afloat.
4 May 2018
Situationist by Irakli Rusadze has had a big year, showing abroad at Milan Fashion Week and gaining international fans like Bella Hadid. With its rising popularity, it would be easy for a small brand like this to burn out. But Rusadze tried to keep the fire going for Spring 2018, holding his show at the swimming pool–turned–club Bassiani—a space known for heavy techno sets that last through the night and into the next afternoon. The show’s pulsing strobe lights and trembling bass evoked a mood that was dark and early ’90s, a theme that Rusadze has been working with since the inception of his label.Rusadze cuts a mean piece of leather outerwear. Here, he sent out hefty leather trenches and car coats in olive and black with a bazaar-plucked feel. Although they looked good, many of these items were reminiscent of prior collections. Breaking up the monotony was a light blue pullover with a large pocket in the front, as well as a butter-soft caramel button-down and a so-bad-it’s-good leopard print that was spliced into the bust of a black leather dress. Bags emblazoned with the logo of the Sega gaming system were fun; accessories is a category that Rusadze should continue to explore.
6 November 2017
Situationist by Irakli Rusadze is one of the few Georgian labels that has had success internationally, and credit for that goes to modelBella Hadid. Since she wore a couple of looks early this year, the brand has gone on to show at Milan Fashion Week. Situationist is often compared to Vetements—and yes, there are some similarities, including the use ofcuissardesand undone bodysuits—but Rusadze is coming into his own. His suiting is strong, and other tailored items like leather car coats and fat trenches have a special one-off vintage feel, as if they’d been lifted from a local secondhand store. On one piece, buttons spelled outSituationistdown a sleeve.Traditional clothing is a bit of a trend in Tbilisi at the moment, and Rusadze has a catchy way of infusing cultural motifs into his designs. Last season he put a Georgian flag on a shirt, and this time around he took oversize pockets from traditional Georgian dress and made them into a hoodie. You never know, maybe this cool homage to his motherland will end up on Hadid.
8 May 2017
Founders: Irakli Rusadze and Davit GiorgadzeYear established: 2015Known for: There’s a Vetements vibe to the designers’ work, but they’re also crafting their own youthful identitySpring 2017 inspiration: Tailored leather jackets and coats, with a standout top emblazoned with the Georgian flag
10 November 2016