First published by T Magazine, 15 July 2015
“The thing that I really love to put in my clothes is a feeling of being at ease – I don’t like the obstruction of too many details and hard shapes,” says the Belgian designer Jan-Jan Van Essche of his eponymous line of beautifully crafted, understated men’s wear – which includes everything from supersoft marled blazers to linen-blend drawstring trousers. “I hope my designs give a physical feeling of freedom. We have our own shop in Antwerp, and I notice that when people wear the clothes for the first time, they start moving and almost dancing in front of the mirror.”
This Saturday, Van Essche makes his latest tiptoe into New York, putting his dance-inducing clothes into a new season installation at Dover Street Market New York. (His line is already carried by Opening Ceremony, and will soon land at ODD, too.) A designer who was born, bred and trained in Antwerp, Van Essche himself is a good fit for the visionary Dover Street Market: He’s a confident nonconformist. Right now his brand is about to launch Project #3; in spring 2016 you’ll be able to buy Collection #6. If this terminology sounds unfamiliar, it’s because Van Essche has developed his own seasonal framework. The annual Collections are launched every spring; as he sees them, they’re about building a comprehensive wardrobe of layers. The annual Projects, on the other hand – launched every fall – are inspired by particular techniques. The first, in 2013, centered around patchwork, the second around Sakiori hand-weaving, and the third – around which his DSM installation will be built – will focus on rope and yarn-weaving. “With each Project, I focus on one detail or one way of working,” he says. “In my head it’s a totally different way of designing.”
One gets the sense that Van Essche is a designer who approaches his craft as a never-ending study, but you don’t have to be seeking an intellectual experience to get hooked on the clothes. “I want the wearer to fall in love with the pieces they buy,” he concludes. “They don’t really need to know the backstory.” Van Essche wants men wearing his clothes to feel the way women feel in summer dresses: light and unburdened. “I experienced that myself when I made my first jumpsuit: You have one piece, one action and you’re done,” he says. “So I try to design things that give this feeling, but look fit for the city.”
Jan-Jan Van Essche’s Project #3 launches in-store on July 18 at Dover Street Market New York, 160 Lexington Avenue, newyork.doverstreetmarket.com.