The identifier, ‘ancient ideals of masculinity fused with pre-industrial silhouettes and the spirit of 70’s Punk’, is a testament to the intellect and social consciousness driving emerging London menswear brand, Ada+Nik. In less than a year, Ada Zanditon and Nik Thakkar have established an international rapport for pioneering their independent, new styles, with endorsements from an array of high-profile clients, including Miguel, Ghetts, Angel Haze, Miley Cyrus and Natalia Kills; a few among the extensive new following the brand is rapidly generating.
AW15 /16 sees the launch their ‘Noir Desir’ collection: an ‘evolution of the brand’s signature outerwear’, including Italian leather bikers, geometric bombers and longline coats. In the associated video campaign below, Ada + Nik update and strikingly reimagine a pastiche of motifs and references with a youthful and modern attitude.
The collection separates are reformed into experimental shapes, offset by layered velvet sneakernet, showerproof tech fabrics, crease free memory cotton, sustainably intelligent cotton ribs and luxury airtex – all of which form the nucleus of the collection, intending to evoke ‘the darkest desires of the twentieth Century gladiator’.
Where the SS15 short was infused with melodrama and the moral confusion of its central protagonist, the energy of AW15/16 is fierce and assured of it’s presence. Indulge in the nightmarish, punk-luxe SS15 campaign to examine this development for yourselves:
Prime Planet caught up with Ada + Nik to learn more about the project:
Prime Planet:
Hey Ada and Nik. How are you?
Ada + Nik:
We’re really well, thanks! Just back from exhibiting our new collection, ‘Noir Desir’, in Paris, which was received very positively.
Prime Planet:
How do you approach the theme of each collection? What was your initial creative process like when it came to ‘Noir Desir’, for instance?
Ada + Nik:
We work really collaboratively on this and pool together our respective influences to co-create a vision, aesthetic and product that resonates with both of us creatively at that particular point in our lives.
Noir Desir is rooted in the themes of redemption and forgiveness which allowed us to build products such as the Narrative Jacket with inbuilt camera to document the every day without losing the physical experience, and also paved way for our partnership with the inmates at Holloway Prison.
Prime Planet:
A key element of pre-industrial society was the idea of ‘limited production’ (that is, artisanship over mass production) – in what ways did the latest collection consciously embody this idea?
Ada + Nik:
We love the idea of our product and vision being exclusive at the same time as having the potential to impact on a wider scale. It’s the fusion of pre-Industrial with a more innovative and future-driven ideals.
Prime Planet:
Your new video campaign for AW15 makes many references to music culture at the dawn of the 70s Punk and initial electronic era. How important is the impact of those particular subcultures on music and fashion to you?
Ada + Nik:
Our creative vision is dismantling socially-established codes by recreating context. We’re social revolutionaries at heart and do this through fashion and the understanding of the impact of a visual.
Punk as a subculture is very much in line with our mindset and ambition for a more creative and revolutionary world. We harness music and film to bring this to life.
Prime Planet:
Who are the individuals (belonging to those times and to the present) that inspired and shaped the aesthetic of that video?
Ada + Nik:
Timeless icons are extremely important whether real or fictional. Specific influences on AW15 were Bertrand Cantat, Trent Reznor and Nelson Mandela.
Prime Planet:
Why is the spirit of youth and rebellion is amongst the things that you wish to channel consistently? What does it mean to you?
Ada + Nik:
Without rebellion we do not move forward as a society. It’s our responsibility to engage with a younger generation of social activists, innovators and visionaries to build and evolve as a populous.
Prime Planet:
It seems that society finds it easier to align itself with the past than to address the present, although this is clearly something that you are doing with the brand with demonstrable flair. When people look back at the music and fashion belonging to our generation, which elements do you think that they will aspire to emulate?
Ada + Nik:
Thank you. We live in the era of the creative entrepreneur, so it is important to realise the end goals of each venture – whether personal, or otherwise – to ensure that the message that is coming across through past references, future projections and a combination of the two. We learn from the past and apply that to the future.
Prime Planet:
What can we expect to see from you this year?
Ada + Nik:
We are keen to pioneer more wearable tech. This is something of increasing importance to us; we want to give the Ada + Nik man the tools to advance and innovate. This season we built a biker jacket with camera and partnered with Motorola and the MOTO 360 smart watch.
Prime Planet:
How do you plan to engage with your following this season?
Ada + Nik:
Editorially, we’re content-driven individuals. This is reflected by the ethos of Ada + Nik. We engage our audience by creating narratives, short films – a story at every opportunity – and communicate this through innovative channels (both digital and analogue).
Prime Planet:
What do you like to do outside of Ada + Nik?
Ada + Nik:
We’re both busy with separate projects. Ada devotes an amount of her time to the Ada Zanditon couture brand. Nik also works with other design houses (Louis Vuitton, Gaultier etc.), recently did a music video for Iggy, and has a new artist in development.
Prime Planet:
Very interesting. We are enthused, and look forward to witnessing your accomplishments in 2015! Thanks, guys.
To view Ada + Nik AW15/16 in full, follow this link:
http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/autumn-winter-2015/mens/ada-nik
Initial image: Hamish Stephenson
Words – Alex Cheatle
