Ivan Mandzukic presents his Spring/ Summer 2016 collection for his label Ivanman at Berlin Fashion Week.
This is my first ever review for DASH and it starts with a confession: A few years ago, I saw one of Ivan Mandzukic’s first presentations at Berlin Fashion Week – and dismissed it. Too student-y, and, if I remember correctly, I didn’t think much of the tailoring. I never went to see his shows again until last season, which turned out to be one of the most refined presentations I have ever seen in this city.
I am ashamed to admit, I deprived myself the chance to witness how one of the finest menswear talents this city has to offer blossomed. Note to self: Let them grow. Mandzukic did grow, which becomes most evident in his use of colour. “As a student I preferred black but over time I learned to love colour. I used colours that actually don’t really go together – mint, yellow and red – but I connect them with grey and black.”
Most emerging talents struggle with limited resources and thus face the challenge of comparatively small collections. With only a few looks you need to attract the attention of the press on the one hand and the interest of buyers on the other. These can be contradicting goals, but Mandzukic keeps mastering the challenge from collection to collection. This time, second layer shirts with a dropped collar line get our attention.
Granted, the tailoring could (still) do with a little tweaking here and there. Nonetheless, Ivanman delivers a collection that is grown up, bold and ready to wear.