What does a fashion presentation look like in the age of COVID? With Digital Fashion Weeks coming to an end, many designers and industry executives are figuring out what is the best way to show their collections online moving forward. Over the past week, we’ve seen everything from chimerical, fairytale-like short films and trippy cartoons to digital spectacles featuring dancers and artists from around the world. Major fashion houses are competing to leave their mark, striving to come up with unconventional and of-the-moment projects while staying true to their core ethos and heritage. In his turn, American designer Thom Browne offers a first look at his Spring/Summer 2021 collection via a 3-minute art film directed by and starring Moses Sumney, also revealing a very special collaboration with Beats by Dr. Dre.

The pared-down, black-and-white video reveals Moses as a splendid statuette — in a straight, floor-length wrap skirt with a red, white and blue silk-stain intarsia diagonal stripe, elegant and unmistakably Thom Browne. Starkly shot against a white chalky wall, it draws attention to the artists’ movement and the Olympic Hymn — the video’s central sound translated into dozens of languages to uplift the viewers, connect them to the collection theme and relay an important message of our day and age. It was clear to Thom that Moses, a true master of his craft, would be the perfect partner for this project focused on the themes of Olympics and the idea of true athleticism.

a narrative reframed, a story redrawn …
through music, a shared language …
the power of melody and harmony …
the strength of sound …

The labels’ forthcoming collection is going to be largely inspired by the 1924 and 1936 Olympics — and once again, it will be presented in a dual-gender format during Paris Fashion Week in early October. The collection is slated to “explore the balance of masculine and feminine silhouettes in sport,” as per the brand’s official statement. The short film has also teased another upcoming project of Browne’s: a limited-edition collaboration with Beats by Dr. Dre which will launch later this month with 100% of proceeds benefiting charity.