The house of Amiri welcomes the soundtrack of their latest Autumn Winter 2023, a layered composition drawn through the memories and ambitions of CEO and Creative Director Mike Amiri. Performed by legendary US producer DJ Premier and The Badder Band, Amiri sets the agenda as their musical performance transports the audience to 90s New York. Setting fire to the start of the Autumn Winter 2023 process, Mike Amiri works in Premier’s Queens studio exchanging ideas and discovering archival cuts that link to the designer’s own formative years. 

With an emphasis on music flowing through the collection itself, Mike and his team’s methodology replicates the notion of being in the recording studio: jamming, discovering new rhythms, new ways of playing with materials. On this beat, time-honored tailoring fundamentals are cut with those of skate, studio and stage. Drawn loose, fluid with generous proportions, shapes slouch with languid downtown ease. An irreverent spirit finessed by sophisticated materials – cashmere, silk, shearling, faux fur, brushed wool – elevates garments to the most luxurious versions of themselves; cast in a palette of monochrome, silver gray, azure and ochre, accented with jolts of deep red and mint green replicating the city hues.

Turning attention to the familiar, abstract techniques develop and establish in-house distort fabric perception. For example, Swarovski sequins are hand-embroidered and loose-ended to mimic tassels and the delicate texture of fur is imitated by uncut fine silk. Signature bandana prints are patch-worked leather and suede, while patterns hand-painted in the studio are translated to shearling jackets, meticulously crafted from leftover fabric as expressive 3D brushstrokes. An extravagance in artisanal innovation embraces a sense of performance, drawing on Mike’s early days designing contemporary stage wear for world-renowned musicians. 

By creating an intersection between craft and flow, Premier’s layered musical scores are mirrored by textured garments. An image of Premier at his decks is drawn as knit, while a patchwork varsity jacket is adorned with badges inspired by those from the archive. ‘Some artists make music some make history’ is written in appliqué across select pieces, paying ultimate homage.

Watch the full show below: