NYFWM: Matthew Adams Dolan

Matthew Adams Dolan presented his Fall/Winter ’17 collection at New York Fashion Week: Men’s yesterday on a bed—yes, literally! Models took turns laying in the bed in his newest designs, which, as always, drew upon American style and craft and featured denim, one of his signature materials. “This season I’m doing something more personal, and I’m looking into quilts,” the designer told us about his design inspiration. “I’ve always had on my bed the quilt that my mom made. It’s all about comfort and protection, especially in this political environment. It’s the idea of security.”

Dolan first made a name for himself when Rihanna wore one of his denim jacket designs in a shoot for i-D. At that time, Dolan originally showed on women, but now, gender isn’t what he’s focused on. “The nature of the garments and the aesthetic that I’m interested in isn’t really tied to men’s or women’s,” he said.

This season, Dolan’s mood board consisted of contrasting and conflicting images. “That’s something I’ve always been super obsessed with. Like denim—on one side it’s Westerns and John Wayne and on the other side it’s Aaliyah and Tupac. This season I have an artwork by Tracey Emin called “My Bed”; John and Yoko’s “Love Not War” protest on the bed; and really cool pictures of geishas in padded winter kimonos.” The bed at the presentation featured a mix of neutrals and pops of color in oversized silhouettes.

Matthew Adams Dolan is one of nine P3 designers in our “Up Next” competition with Samsung and the CFDA. The winner gets the cover of our February 10 NYFW issue—if you like what you see, you can vote for the label HERE.