Namesake Men’s Spring 2023
For spring 2023, the Namesake label mined surf culture, but the collection is a lot deeper than it seems at first take. The Hsieh brothers — Michael and Steve — brought references from a dark chapter in their lives, when Michael had a mental breakdown due to body and self-esteem issues and the family rallied around him to help.
“We nurtured him back to health and we are trying to bring back the idea that we are brothers, and we are each others’ lifeguards,” Steve told WWD of the collection’s unexpected notes.
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The label was cofounded with third brother Richard, who has since returned to the family fishing business in Taiwan. Connecting all the sibling dots they pulled in that reference, too, used as netting over sandals in a collaboration with Birkenstock, but it was best interpreted in chunky knitwear and shoes. Meanwhile, 3D-printed winged trainers were part basketball footwear and part futuristic flying fish, ready for takeoff.
Basketball is a recurring theme in Namesake collections. This season it appeared as jerseys that doubled as trousers or upside-down T-shirts as tube tops, which worked well as an idea to represent Michael’s prior mixed-up mental state, if less so in application. Updated bombers were strong points.
Getting into the fashion business had the ironic effect of making Michael care less about his appearance, he said. “Now I’m just doing what I love.”
A collarless coat painted in a moody gray-blue stripe was the penultimate piece of the collection, signifying that the clouds have lifted.
Launch Gallery: Namesake Men's Spring 2023
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