Spencer Badu's Collection 013 Toys With Traditional Dress Codes
Knit wool shirts don graphic intarsia ties, while classic blazers are swapped for flight jackets and more.
Spencer Badu‘s designs always begin the concept of the uniform. “Fashion is not for one-time special events,” he once told Hypebeast. “It’s made to be useful, durable and functional.” Building on this philosophy, the designer’s Collection 013 Spring/Summer 2024 collection offers a playful lens to the buttoned-up dress codes of eras past.
Here, the three-piece suit is broken down into something slightly less complicated: knitted wool shirts, for instance, boast tie graphic intarsia for a trompe-l’oeil effect, and blazers are swapped out for structured coats and flight jackets. Camouflage patterns decorate fitted tops with dimensional sewing techniques, and the standard vest is rotated to transform its closure and head openings.
The line “transcends binary structures, embodying an ‘in-between’ essence, blending future-proof elements with deep historical influences,” per the collection notes. In practice, this design ethos manifests in crinkled rugby shirts and cargo shorts that reimagine African garments with excessive materials, nodding to the designers’ Ghanaian heritage. It similarly comes to life in cotton-blend, pulled-back tops with yoke detailing and creased shorts.
“I’ve learned to play my own game,” said the designer. “My power is to be myself.” In Collection 013, Badu’s subtle tweaks to the common uniform are unequivocally him.
Explore Spencer Badu’s Collection 013 in the gallery above.
