story by Seth Friedermann
photos by Aeric Meredith-Goujon
There’s a great deal for which Mandy Coon does not get much credit. People chatter about her quirkiness, or consistent experimentation with leather, but her actual skills as a designer are rarely discussed. Yet, this rising star designer possesses one of the qualities most critical for long term success: the ability to create designs that are subtly distinctive. With Ms. Coon’s Spring 2013 collection, this talent was on full display in what is probably her best collection to date.
Her inspiration this season was MIDI files and visual representations of sound, but what was truly inspiring was her intriguing touches in construction and detailing. The impact of her subtle play in shapes and asymmetry was heightened by the cutouts, representing sound made cloth or skin. Mandy Coon creates in a rich language of symbols and techniques that mark the wearers of her creations as complex and unique.
