Whether it was the LVMH Prize semifinalist nod or a natural reaction to the passing of time, Namesake’s collection marked a more mature turn for designer Steve Hsieh. The gong-gong ticking of a clock before the show began suggested it was the latter, and the long, all-white hallway of the show setting served as a clean slate as the Taiwanese-American designer sent out a series of tightly tailored and well-thought-out pieces.
Past collections have been centered on basketball-inspired wear. Here Hsieh smartly pulled through hints of the sport in woven jersey touches on shoulders of crisp white shirts and the curves of basketball grip lines delicately arching, recalling an hourglass on collarless jackets.
Hsieh has honed his eye for textures, deftly mixing colorful, nubby tweeds with sporty nylon. He also looked to the shapes of athleticwear. Trousers and jackets take fit cues from team uniforms, but are reimagined with new sophistication.
The young designer, now pushing 30, said he did a complete rethink of what he wants the line to be. “Responsibility starts to set in,” he said of the milestone. Building on that maturity, he brought in ties and sweater vests as markers of an official grown-up, but still kept his sense of play, pulling them through large cutouts.
Wood toggle buttons on some jackets pulled through the fisherman influences he used in the past, and a tie-wrap blazer highlighted Hsieh’s Asian heritage.
Gone were the gimmicks, and the maturity marked a coming-of-age collection for the line.