In his first physical show as Creative Director, Guram Gvasalia made a debut that summarized his childhood, making it pertinent to replicate the very items and idols that is the culmination of his identity as a designer.

The underground was a significant center point for the show as the fantasies of wanting to be a part of the punk movement counterculture as teens reflected through the towering spiked hair matched with shredded denim and sweatshirts that quip “Jesus loves me,” as there was no longer the limitation of family disapproval and cultural conservatism.

The effects of DIY tailoring poured through as Gvasalia’s past with dressing barbie dolls while hidden in the night as a young child reflects through checkered woven pantsuits similar to the bags of the defunct discount French store Tati and checkered capes that resemble memories of living in refugee camps after fleeing the civil war in Georgia.

Idolization and glamour peaked at times, especially towards the finale, as Gvasalia’s obsession with Kim Basinger and even the glamour of his grandmother. She started in morning gowns and red lipstick every morning, directed towards sequined gowns and candy-colored-tulle. This ethos was not only limited to womenswear, as white silk long jackets were kept open to expose tanned abs or gray sequins wrapped on silver-haired men.

“Creativity comes from the lack of means,” said Gvasalia in the show notes, pointing back to a time when there was no means to acquire fabric. For this collection, the garments now stand as an afterlife for these memories: shearling odes to his teddy bear and a runway sendoff to a Parisian staple soon to be demolished.