The rise of statement accessories

Written by Ilman Ramadhanu | Read in Indonesian

From “f*** you” earrings to angular sunglasses to sneakers that can grow plants, maximalism is the way to go when it comes to accessorising during the spring 2023 season at this year’s men’s fashion week

These accessories were born out of the collision between futuristic visions and experimental designs that seemed to be the underlying theme for many designers. What followed was a series of bold, eccentric and outlandish accessories, perfect to make a statement that expresses one’s individuality.

Surreal earrings

Over at Paris Fashion Week, subtle metal earrings were seen dangling on the ears of male models throughout the season at Dior Men, Givenchy and Junya Watanabe. However, this subtlety was overshadowed by surreal earrings courtesy of Marine Serre, Hed Mayner and Y/Project.

Marine Serre’s iconic half-moon logo was transformed into gold giant hoop earrings that cohesively matched the ever present half-moon motif throughout the collection. The earrings were revisited in a smaller scale, but grandiosity was still the keyword. As seen in one of the models, the little half-moon earrings were hooked with long printed orange scarves that gracefully fell all the way from the ears down to the knees.

Image: Gold giant hoop earrings from Marine Serre

A more DIY approach in accessories was taken by Hed Mayner as could be seen from the repurposed teaspoons that were made into drop earrings. The choice to turn silverware into earrings, however, was not random as for this collection Mayner was inspired by the comfort of home. He incorporated bed linens into shirts and revamped the stoic masculine silhouette by sculpting billowy shoulders into his floor-length coats and blazers that made them look as cuddly as blankets.

Over at Y/Project, its creative director Glenn Martens raised some eyebrows when he sent out models wearing surreal earrings in the shape of a hand giving the middle finger sign to the audience. The earrings were 3D printed, same goes with other surreal earrings and necklaces in the shape of flowers that were present in the collection.

The reasoning? Nothing in particular, except maybe for some shock value given Martens’ history of creating cheeky designs like denim thongs and thigh-high ugg boots. The shownote explained that the earrings were a sign of contemporary malice and part of the brand’s exploration of irony in fashion. But regardless, Martens presented a visually-striking collection filled with attention-grabbing pieces that warranted it to go viral.

Futuristic eyewear

Sharp lines across the eyes, chic reflective lenses and bold colours covering almost half of your face were the prominent features in eyewear, which in some way complimented this season's futuristic throughlines.

At Givenchy, creative director Matthew M Williams maintained his pragmatic approach by designing contemporary everyday wear in the likes of cargo pants and tracksuits. Instead, he let the accessories be the piece de resistance of the collection.

The 3D printed sunglasses with frames shaped like the letter G in black, tan, silver and charcoal grey were as covetable as luxury eyewear could be. Together with padlock pendants, stacked chain necklaces and metal earrings, these sunglasses not only completed, but also elevated the whole collection.

While the accessories enhanced the minimalist clothes at Givenchy, a complete opposite happened at Louis Vuitton and Walter Van Beirendonck who by any means screamed maximalism. A canary yellow runway at Louis Vuitton set precedent for a childlike collection filled with origami hats, paper planes tuxedos and cartoon-printed coats. The childhood theme came to completion with sunglasses with animated frames in bright yellow, orange, teal and lilac hues with glossy lenses.

Similarly, Beirendonck’s esoteric approach to fashion was fully realised with the help of accessories in his latest collection. Despite the crowdedness of the collection that forced your eyes to travel from a shakespearean ruffled collar to black patent leather coat with pleated ruffles and rectangular edges to metallic gold leather pants, what tied the whole collection together were the angular-swimming goggles-esque sunglasses. It propelled an already alien-esque collection to a whole nother galaxy.

Reality-bending shoes

In the footwear department, many brands and designers used high-tech sneakers and dazzling thigh-high boots to imagine an alternate reality.

Jonathan W Anderson tried to produce a reality where our clothes can grow actual living plants for Loewe’s spring 2023 men’s collection. In collaboration with textile designer Paula Ulargui Escalona, Anderson incorporated live chia plants and catswort onto hoodies, coats, jeans and sneakers as a way to mesh together nature and modern technology.

In the opening look, the plant sneakers were paired with a simple leather coat with embossed embellishments in the shape of modern-life artefacts like phone case and USB cables. These shoes are not gonna be available commercially, but Anderson made up for it with padded, cloud-like sneakers and drawstring shoes in lively green, pink, purple, orange and blue that still feels otherworldly.

In another realm, two rising French fashion houses Egonlab and VTMNTS continued to disrupt the fashion industry by creating clothes that live outside the reality of the two genders. It could be seen from a series of thigh-high platform boots that were incorporated into the traditional masculine silhouette.

At Egonlab, patent leather thigh-high platform boots were worn together with a conservative slouchy tan trench coat, white undershirt and houndstooth shorts. VTMNTS took the same masculine-feminine fusion styling approach in their collection as could be seen in one of the looks where a white and orange sweatshirt was paired with shining thigh-high silver boots. Either way, it was these boots that made the two collections feel dominating and show-stopping.

Statement accessories brand in Indonesia

While we may have to wait a couple more millenia where our shoes could grow live plants, some of these statement accessories have made their way to the Indonesian fashion market with brands like ISSHU, Tulola, Tickle Pickle, Klar Access and Pawaka leading the trend.

Inspired by Native American philosophy, modernity, nature and her Indonesian heritage, designer Fahrani Empel conceptualises a future-forward eyewear brand called Pawaka, which is known for its eccentric frames and striking lenses. On the flip side, sculptural jewelleries have also been the focus of design by many Indonesian jewellery designers.

One example is Tulola, an Indonesian jewellery brand focusing on one-of-a-kind art wear pieces that is often inspired by the diversity of Indonesian culture. It is reflected in the series of earrings, pendants, bracelets and brooches that are elegantly sculpted in the shapes of motifs that appear in many batik textiles.

Meanwhile, ISSHU is letting our imaginations run wild with their experimental yet wearable jewellery. Influences from surrealism are very apparent in their collection as could be seen from pieces that bizarrely resemble ordinary objects, like a bracelet shaped like a human hand or a ring shaped like a water pipe.

In an email correspondence, Rezha, a representative from ISSHU, explained that their inspiration could come from anywhere, from nature to extraterrestrial life, which is apparent in their latest collaboration with influencer Alegeor.

While these statement accessories may look unconventional to wear, Rezha offered one interesting take that conveys the versatility of statement accessories and probably the reason as to why this trend is on the rise: “It will enhance your look even when you are just wearing a plain old shirt.”