Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
BERLIN, Germany — Justin O'Shea is launching a new self-funded menswear brand named SSS World Corp.
The launch marks O'Shea's return to menswear following his departure from Brioni in October 2016. The brand will debut with its Spring/Summer 2018 collection on the runway in June during the menswear shows in Paris.
SSS World Corp will have advice, production and manufacturing support from Berlin-based 032c, the contemporary culture magazine and clothing line helmed by Joerg and Maria Koch. It will launch a full wardrobe, with product categories including outerwear, tailoring, shirts, t-shirts, swimwear, footwear and jewellery.
“People don't want to buy into a label, they want to buy into an idea,” O’Shea tells BoF of the concept behind the brand. “There needs to be some kind of element of contradiction and something which makes them feel like they're getting individuality rather than something that's a blank approach."
ADVERTISEMENT
The label aims to unite a street aesthetic with luxury sensibilities, and is heavy on prints and graphics created by O’Shea’s friend and frequent collaborator Benny Robinson, who also recreated the Brioni logo for O’Shea last year.
People don't want to buy into a label, they want to buy into an idea.
O'Shea says SSS World Corp will have a luxury streetwear price-point, slightly below that of Acne Studios. "If I am doing something that people can only enjoy from the outside then what's the point?" he explains. "With the influence of streetwear and the image and power from some of these modern-day brands [like Supreme, Gosha Rubchinskiy and Off-White], it's not about price but about pushing a belief and identity with a luxury feeling. It's that mixture between formal and street, which inevitably I think is the trend that will go forward."
"Everybody wants to disrupt everything these days. We're just happy to create alternatives to an establishment that's way past its zenith. And what could be more fun than a joyride with Justin O'Shea? With Justin's new venture SSS World Corp, we're excited to scale the ideas and build on facilities developed by 032c apparel's Maria Koch," says Joerg Koch.
Australian-born O'Shea has no formal training as a designer and began his career in fashion by working in a London showroom. He rose to become global fashion director of MyTheresa, before being appointed creative director of Brioni in March 2016.
O'Shea says he is confident about SSS World Corp's launch and positioning. "You take what Demna [Gvasalia's] doing at Vetements, they're doing whatever they want and they've now paved the way because they stayed on their own trajectory. That [attitude] is lacking in menswear compared to womenswear and that's where I found my relevance."
Related Articles:
[ Justin O’Shea Enlists Metallica For Brioni’s Radical RepositioningOpens in new window ]
