School’s in session, kiddos. FALL RISK is back with Volume 4 and this time around designer John Targon is taking us on a nostalgia-filled trip back to school with a collection of boarding school inspired looks. For the latest edition in his sustainably-driven and seasonless fashion line, Targon has partnered with the popular fashion marketplace app Depop. The entirety of Volume 4 will be available exclusively on Depop or at a pop-up on September 21st & 22nd at the Depop NYC space at 168 Mott Street. A launch party celebrating the pop-up will be held on the evening of September 20th from 6-9 pm.

With FALL RISK Volume 4: ‘Remix Responsibly’, Targon underscores his commitment to sustainability, eliminating production waste and reducing our footprint on the planet by offering 49 one-of-a-kind fashion products including samples and prototypes.  Items will retail from $99 to $250.

“We believe that no item, no matter the stage of its development, should stay in a design studio. Imperfect perfection is what we’re all about,” said Targon. “The concept of ‘Remix Responsibly’ builds on one-of-a-kind products in an assortment of styles, prints, and colors that mix and match no matter when they were dropped.  This is the FALL RISK way to build a wardrobe.”

FALL RISK Volume 4: ‘Remix Responsibly’ will be supported by a visual campaign shot by Justin Campbell, styled by Sara Klausing and featuring a diverse cast of models and personalities which embody individuality, including comedian Benito Skinner, musician TK Wonder, DJ Jenny Albright, and podcast sensation Olivia Perez.

V recently caught up with Targon to learn more about Volume, his devotion to sustainable fashion, and what we can expect from the future of FALL RISK. 

Ryan Killian Krause: You put a big emphasis on the sustainability of your brand. Let’s talk sustainability in Vol. 4.

John Targon: There are a few key elements at play in Volume 4 but it was really about nothing going to waste.  The main viewpoint was that I would find a way – no matter where the piece was in the design process – to make it something someone could love and wear, and something that didn’t just end up sitting around the studio.  One of the key sustainability parts was in the redesign, where I took prototypes and shortened them, added things, subtracted things or just changed things about them all by hand; it’s almost a bespoke approach and it was helpful to not be limited by a larger production run because I just thought about each piece individually. The second part is that all the pieces are knitwear, and inherently in my set up of the designs I create fully fashioned pieces that don’t waste yarn, I use only what each piece needs to make it.

RKK: So, are the Vol. 4 pieces old prototypes or samples from previous volumes?

JT: There are some prototypes from previous volumes but an incredible number of the pieces are unreleased, so it’s totally fresh.  And what I did was I made them each something I love and then saved that process for future volumes, where I’ll make another round of changes either large or subtle to keep those styles as part of the brand language, which helped me extend the total life of each piece as well because they became something new for the future.

RKK: Did you use sustainable manufacturing techniques like with Vol. 3?

JT: I used a variety of biodegradable yarns, that’s one of the biggest ways I am pushing forward with the brand, and because I already do fully fashioned knits the waste to produce is incredibly controlled.

RKK: What was the inspiration for Vol. 4? Did you pull on your nostalgia this time around as well?

JT: What you’ll see here is that nostalgia is always a source of inspiration and what makes my approach most exciting to me is that you almost can’t pinpoint why you feel you know it familiar.  I am really interested in these subtle twists in cultural references, different eras, and some definite fantasy.  I kept going back to the idea of getting ready for school, and how you could create an effortless uniform of sorts, but not in a standard way.  The inspiration was rooted in boarding school prep, but for the student who smokes in the bathroom stalls and doesn’t get caught – just a touch rebellious.

RKK: How does Vol 4 fit in with previous (or future) volumes?

JT: It is an exact extension of both, the pieces here are part of a larger world that I built out for the next year or so. So, keeping familiar threads while introducing newness was key.  A very consistent thread in the collections is that it’s all knitwear and I am really enjoying pushing the technical boundaries in that area and what will come in the future.  I am so far less concerned with things being quick and more about them being timeless and wearable day in and day out, all the way through to five years from now.

RKK: Why’d you decide to partner with Depop this time around?

JT: I’ve been watching the Depop story unfold and my immediate reaction was wow, here is this incredible community built on personal curation, including your friends and sustainability; and I thought that’s me, that’s FALL RISK.  The alignment and interest stemmed from my core brand message which is to empower my customers’ individuality through carefree expression.  I truly believe the power of standing out comes from not fitting in, and that’s when the idea gelled for me – provide access to one-of-a-kind pieces just as unique as the sellers and shoppers on Depop.  It allows me to share my process and also opens up an additional appreciation for all the designs and work we do.

RKK: For Vol. 4 you’re continuing the in-person sales you did for Vol. 3. How did the in-person event for Vol. 3 go? Can we expect more in-person events for future volumes?

JT: I approach things in this way: how can I know more about my customers? The world of customers that I don’t know offers a ton of inspiration to me.  I’m not interested in moving my customers to me, but I’m interested in going to my customers.  So, this in-store is exactly that – it’s an opportunity to meet a new demographic and mix them with my existing customers.  You will most definitely see more of these in-person events, but I am going to need to ensure that each is special in approach so that means I’ll try a new approach for Volume 5, wink wink.  The Hamptons event was incredible, the store was filled with a special energy and buzz, and it was awesome to see that people are already geared up for the weather change. I think everyone who has the cashmere is thinking, wow that was actually the best choice I made in July, haha.

RKK: It’s only been a month since Vol. 3 dropped. Can we expect Vol. 5 as quickly?

JT: I am kind of beating to the beat of my own drum right now, and when things feel right, I’ll share them. They really have to have a purpose. That’s super important to me.  I think Volume 5 will take a bit longer to be honest.  What I can say is you’ll see a Volume 4.1 before a Volume 5.  This partnership with Depop really motivated my interest in approaching the zero-waste angle with more vigor.  I have some very talented artist friends that I had over to my studio and we really started pushing one another’s creativity and the results are in the works and a perfect bridge to volume 5.

Check out some of the looks in the slideshow below and make sure to download Depop so you can cop your one-of-a-kind FALL RISK Vol. 4 items before they sell out.