Song for the Mute's SS22 Collection "Avenue D'Ivry" Is an Ode to Home
Reflecting on the co-founder Lyna Ty’s childhood in an apartment block in Paris.
Melvin Tanaya and Lyna Ty‘s Australian label Song for the Mute is one for references, often looking to the past for influences that it can use to infiltrate its collection, and its Spring/Summer 2022 offering “Avenue D’Ivry” is no exception.
Revisiting Lyna Ty’s memories of growing up in her childhood home, the collection juxtaposes the same opposites that frequented the hallways, elevators, and moments of life in the apartment block in Paris. Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s in Les Olympiades, Paris, Ty grew up in a block locally known as “Tour Tokyo,” which as the decades went on, become a home to many Southeast Asian families, subsequently earning the name “Le Quartier Asiatique.” With this in mind, Ty recalls a way of living that was somewhat communal, or at least that her neighbors were like family as they were all so close.
An even more specific influence for the SS22 collection is the apartment block’s lift. Speaking on this, Ty says, “[It] was one of those things you had to take in your day-to-day living in an apartment, going from one floor to another. The brightly lit, enclosed metal box, where the individuals of Les Olympiades crossed paths. I wanted to capture these awkward moments up close with another, exchanging quick glances, not really knowing where to look. Wondering who they might be or where they came from. Those fleeting moments spent within a confined space with a total stranger, where the seconds and minutes spent between floors can feel like a lifetime. I also wanted to capture those moments where we find ourselves alone, doing odd things, when we think no one is watching.”
It’s the lift that plays home for the collection’s lookbook, serving as a backdrop for much more outlandish and daring clothes that we’ve come to expect from Song for the Mute as of late. Teenagers in tracksuits, grandmas in plastic raincoats, archetypal old French men, a woman who stole her boyfriend’s clothes — it all comes together for the brand’s collection, influencing “Avenue D’Ivry.”
As a result, everything from a neighbors worn-out leather couch that’s now referenced in a stunning brown patent leather two-piece to the warped prints reminiscent of kitchen flooring can be found for SS22. Soft pastels find themselves decorating knitwear, bleach-look trench coats inspired by ’90s denim worn by Ty’s cousins also appear, as does plenty of acid wash finishes on denim jackets, slip dresses, and accessories.
Song for the Mute’s SS22 collection “Avenue D’Ivry” can be seen in the lookbook above. Expect it to launch in stores globally early next year.
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