For his Spring Summer 2011 show, Kris Van Assche had his runway constructed in the centre of the Halle Freysinnet’s immense hangar, dwarfed within the concrete and steel space on the docks of Paris. This relic of industry now hosts a rally of cultural events every year, however it was the labored past that linked beautifully with Kris’s show – a grounded ode to blue collar workers translated with a monochrome polish.

It seems Mr. Van Assche has truly hit his stride, mingling his worlds at Dior Homme and his own label to powerful effect – allowing double impact of his seasonal inspirations to flow through each collection with respect to their individual traditions. This time around the location was the same yet the feeling rather different, Dior’s enormous light cylinder absent and replaced by a simple white paper backdrop, rolled from a frame down the straight runway.

Backstage, the boys mingled around with their dressers, hair and makeup teams taking extra care of their hands – blackened with makeup reminiscent of coal dust. Though hardly dressing miners, Kris threaded his looks with a sophisticated interpretation of workwear details including leather and cotton apron belts, ropes and hanging keychains, and heavy work boots with canvas trims.

The garments themselves possessed a comfortable quality that betrayed their luxurious fabric and finish, with jackets belted at the hip and trousers slung low and loose. Cotton jersey tops were cut like tunics or oversized t-shirts, accentuating a broad shoulder and layered in the sleeves. Some looks were styled like coveralls, with mid-sleeve shirts tucked into trousers or even attached as jumpsuits.

A more formal story played with sheer stripes and a lustrous dark denim, and leather pieces held a rich, oiled shine. All silhouettes remained in Kris’s strict palette of black, white, icy grey and beige, with the final outings offering a rare foray into abstract pattern – with splattered paint across slim trousers, a macintosh coat and raglan sweaters. It seems his miners hit oil.

Set to the soundtrack of Trentemoller’s “Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider GO!”, Kris kept the high-energy ambience to his show with this surf-rock track of snare drums and jangling guitars setting the pace for a fast, confident walk. A walk that he deserves himself, as he continues to drill his way through the fashion fold to divine his own niche in Paris’ menswear calendar.

Above image by Patrice Stable.

Above image by Patrice Stable.

Above image by Patrice Stable.