For Colm Dillane, a fashion show is never just a fashion show.
In recent years, the KidSuper founder has used his runway slot to stage a standup comedy show, a live auction and Cirque du Soleil performance. This season, he returned to the medium that propelled him to fame during the pandemic: film.
Dillane opened his fall show with an angsty short movie starring Vincent Cassel as a man who realizes he’s living in a “Matrix”-style simulation. The designer is a huge fan of “La Haine,” the 1995 film that launched the French actor’s career.
“When he came in, he was like, ‘So what do I wear to the after party?’ And we’re like, ‘You’re coming to the after party?’ So it’s cool. It’s kind of meet-your-heroes,” Dillane said.
The cinematic display paid tribute to his favorite film characters. Brad Pitt’s fur coat in “Fight Club” spawned a series of chubby faux furs, while all-black looks evoked the mood of the dystopian thriller “Children of Men.”
While his models looked like the cast of “The Usual Suspects,” it was hard to discern a real guiding theme to the collection, which included sweeping coats plastered with Dillane’s art work, cropped bomber jackets with stencil-like appliqués, painted suits with tucked-in jackets, and oodles of movie villain leather.
“I’m growing up. I mean, my customer is probably growing up faster than I am, so I have to catch up to my customer,” Dillane demurred. “My friends are, for the first time, having kids on purpose, so they’re dressing real mature.”
Still editing the film hours before show time, he was already thinking about the next one.
“They feel like mini obstacle courses that I have to do. I just went through a week of what felt like boot camp for filmmaking,” he said. “So what should I do next?”
