OAMC's Luke Meier Always Leaves Room for Mystery in His Designs

Time is of the essence when it comes to Luke Meier producing high-quality clothing for OAMC. The hard-pressed fashion designer recently sat down with Berlin’s art and design maven Andreas Murkudis for an exclusive interview where he broke down the ethos of his label. The method to Meier’s ongoing success with OAMC is rooted in underexposure, leaving room for mystery in the designs he envisions, the garments he crafts, and the inclusivity he purveys for his fellow patrons.

“I think that constantly showing everything is a bit too easy; it doesn’t leave anything to the imagination. I think that a little bit of mystery can help people make things their own,” Meier expressed. “They can fill in the blanks with their imagination. This can create an interesting, personal understanding and is usually more exciting than reality.”

OAMC’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection is currently on display at Andreas Murkudis’ high-concept retail store in Berlin. Read select excerpts below and let us know your thoughts.

In your work for OAMC, you seem to avoid narrative in order to create truly versatile designs. Do you seek to create clothes that can be worn by anyone?
I do avoid narrative, but I design from my own experiences, and I like to use design to convey messages. I want people to identify with the clothing on many levels; of course the aesthetic, but I also want the messages within to resonate and be interpreted in personal ways. In that sense, the clothes should be worn by anyone; they are there to be understood and contextualized as individuals see fit.

Do you believe that “dressing down” and not “showing off” are a kind of civic virtue?
That’s a bit extreme, but I do believe that not showing off can reinforce a feeling of confidence. Menswear is also about detail and quality, which are best observed in a “Ramsian” context. It always varies, but often times I find that people who are more reserved on the surface have more to say.

Supreme, OAMC, Jil Sander—what do the three brands you’ve been designing for have in common? Is there perhaps something democratic about all of them?
They are all very different and have all helped me get to this point. From my experience, there is one glaring commonality: no compromise.