‘It’s almost like a new beginning,’ Dutch designer Lucas Ossendrijver told Wallpaper* in 2023 on the release of his first collaborative collection with New York-based label Theory. Titled 'Theory Project’, it marked a return to fashion after four years out of the spotlight, having exited his role as head of menswear at Lanvin in 2018 after a 14-year tenure at the Parisian house. ‘To do a capsule, and to not do everything, means I don’t have any constraints or even pressure. I feel completely free.’
Today (31 March 2023), the next chapter of the ongoing ‘Theory Project’ is revealed with a spring 2023 collection of men’s and womenswear pieces that once again look towards the brand’s home city for inspiration (Ossendrijver splits his own time between New York and Paris). ‘New York – it’s something about the way people dress,’ he said last year. ‘It’s casual, but at the same time quite sophisticated. It’s this mix of things; I find it interesting looking at the way they style themselves. The boys, in particular, are very aware of how they look, without ever looking too much.’
‘Theory Project’ Spring 2023 by Lucas Ossendrijver
‘Theory Project’ Spring 2023 collection by Lucas Ossendrijver
The new collection is an attempt to capture what Ossendrijver describes as the ‘dynamic energy’ of New Yorkers. As such, the various pieces meld function and elegance, a juxtaposition which has long defined his work (at Lanvin, he would elevate quotidian garments through fabric and cut, incorporating the sporting and hiking elements which have since become ubiquitous in fashion). Here, he has done this through an exploration of motion: ‘fluid fabrics, utilitarian details, and joyful custom prints’, he says, are an attempt to capture the feeling of traversing a New York street.
‘There’s a fantasy in design, but ultimately it needs to be functional and purposeful,’ he continues. ‘This collection was designed with a laser focus on the wearer and their lifestyle. Even though Theory Project is a small capsule, it has to serve everybody. That’s why you have options.’
‘Theory Project’ Spring 2023 collection by Lucas Ossendrijver
The result is what he calls a ‘modern wardrobe’, pieces which ‘take the stiffness out of tailoring’ and riff on the clean-lined design tropes for which the brand is known (launched by Andrew Rosen and Elie Tahari in 1997, it become synonymous with the era’s sleek minimalism). Highlights include a parka jacket crafted from double-weave technical fabric produced in Prato, Italy, with extra-long drawstrings, diaphanous V-neck georgette dresses in hues of French blue, champagne and classic black, and a slim narrow-waist blazer with stand collar in wool stretch gabardine.
For men, riffs on American sportswear – a nylon coach jacket, a terry-cloth polo sweater – meet a concise offering of minimal tailoring (blazers come in single or three-buttoned styles). A series of trainers, custom-developed for ‘Theory Project’, are made for both men and women, featuring reflective elements and chunky rubberised soles ‘steeped in hues from lilac to cognac’.
‘Theory Project’ Spring 2023 by Lucas Ossendrijver is available in selected stores and at the brand’s website now.
‘Theory Project’ Spring 2023 collection by Lucas Ossendrijver
-
Ora-ïto transforms the Renault 17 into a futuristic yet retro-tinged visionThe R17 electric restomod x Ora-ïto is the fourth in Renault's series of designer-led reimaginings of iconic models from its past. We think it's the best of the lot
-
First Look: a domestic idyll by Lucy Stark and Fabien Cappello at the Blunk SpaceInspired by the life and times at JB Blunk's haven of a house in Inverness, a new exhibition of paintings and objects has us dreaming of California
-
Food writer, Tamar Adler on her perfect restaurant experienceGuest editor Laila Gohar has asked friends and creatives to share their perfect restaurant experience. Here, chef and food writer, Tamar Adler recounts a momentous meal for a happy occasion
-
New York Fashion Week S/S 2025 highlights: Alaïa to Willy ChavarriaWallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss selects the best of New York Fashion Week S/S 2025 in our ongoing round-up, from Alaïa’s celebration of American beauty to Willy Chavarria on Wall Street
-
What is the future of New York Fashion Week? The city’s independent designers weigh inAs New York Fashion Week begins today, Nicole DeMarco catches up with the city’s rising designers to talk about the positives, pressures and pitfalls of showing at NYFW, and asks: can you still ‘make it’ in New York City?
-
Marissa Zappas makes perfume that smells like tornadoes and birthday cakeMarissa Zappas has a radical imagination. Here, the perfumer talks with Jocelyn Silver about the new direction for her namesake brand
-
Andrés Reisinger makes Hourglass blush with bubblegum-pink drapesArtist Andrés Reisinger speaks exclusively to Wallpaper* about his New York takeover with Hourglass cosmetics
-
Women’s Fashion Week S/S 2025: what to expectNext week sees the arrival of Women’s Fashion Week S/S 2025, with stops in New York, London, Milan and Paris. Here, our comprehensive guide to the month, from Alaïa’s arrival in New York to Alessandro Michele’s Valentino debut
-
Hermès heads to New York for a one-off show capturing ‘the pace, energy and optimism’ of the cityYesterday evening (7 June 2024) at New York’s Pier 36, Nadège Vanhee held ‘The Second Chapter’ of her A/W 2024 Hermès womenswear show with an energetic, colour-saturated collection inspired by her former home city
-
Inside Cutler and Gross’ ‘warm and inviting’ New York addressAs Cutler and Gross upsize to a new store on New York’s Mercer Street, we speak to designers Chris Leong and Dominic Leong of New York-based architecture firm Leong Leong about the space, which was inspired by ’archival libraries and reading rooms’
-
Remembering Liquid Sky, the cult 1990s New York fashion store that was ‘also a scene’As a new book is released, Liquid Sky founders Claudia Rey and Carlos Slinger tell Wallpaper’s Mary Cleary about the downtown fashion store that attracted New York’s underground and had Chloë Sevigny as a sales clerk
