With childlike doodles and splashes of paint, Tigran Avetisyan’s genderfluid collection is a search for freedom

Russian-Armenian menswear designer Tigran Avetisyan’s latest collection is an eclectic, multi-faceted critique on contemporary society and fashion.

Building on his brand’s staples — including ankle-grazing skirts and incisive hand-painted slogans — for his 2020 Autumn / Winter collection, Avetisyan interjected his usual grey-hued palette with summer colours, childlike doodles, and watercolour prints.

The image of a cross featured throughout the lookbook is poised to turn the model into a puppet. Together with the phone stuck in the model’s hand with an oversized pink chain, these allusions to our “freedom” cut through the collection’s naive aesthetic.

Instead of political slogans, Avetisyan has emblazoned his tops with the names of famous figures: although choosing the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, over modern day celebrities.

The collection was designed in collaboration with Italian bicycle brand Cino Cinelli, which inspired the references to 80s Italian design power houses like Cinelli, Memphis group, and Alessandro Mendini.

Avetisyan first came under the spotlight thanks to his biting Central Saint Martin graduate collection, featuring messages like “No jobs, apologies” and “Stop dreaming”. In addition to his subversive menswear designs, he also launched an imaginary Duty-Free perfume, a clever campaign criticising fashion’s breakneck pace.