MERYLL ROGGE SS2023: Made on Earth by Humans

A collection with Beni Bischof

‘A fantasized, slightly distorted vision of a familiar yet foreign culture. Off but seductive, with glimpses of a bygone era, remnants of past glory days. By drawing from the rich and eclectic imagery of Americana, Meryll Rogge questions the poetic misrepresentations, the icons and other clichés that make for a popular cultural phenomenon. Hugh Holland’s photographs of youthful skaters meet the cast of Francis Ford Coppola’s Outsiders and a young Brooke Shields’ iconic fashion campaign.

Having lived many years in New York, Rogge’s reconnection with the United States, in the Spring of 2022, conveys a series of sweet and sorrow memories. It begins with a familiar feeling of reunion, of kinship and nostalgia. It continues, as she travels West, and rejoices in the sartorial freedom characteristic of Los Angeles. Where flea markets and sport stores coincide for an impromptu and improbable wardrobe.

This collection draws from a Californian free-spirited approach to dressing up. Pragmatic varsity clothes mixed with draped silk and lurex evening pieces form a spontaneous and very nonchalant idea of elegance. Bi-color double knit sweaters with raglan sleeves, athletic socks and all-over checker and stripe prints on viscose satin, straight out of a jock’s locker, meet an elevated take on denim. Oversized proportions give the iconic American fabric a sense of couture theatricality, while luxurious cashmere camisoles are intentionally worn with more mundane boxer shorts.

An ingenious take on thrifted classics sees a three-quarter coat worn inside-out with care- less preciosity. Assembled as if they were misplaced on the body, shirts become shorts, t-shirts lay flat on skirts. Central seams and other rules of tailoring are casually abolished as pieces merge into one another. Just like a three-dimensional collage, they offer a new take on deconstruction. A reconstruction as seen backwards, over-layered and upside down. Silly becomes surprisingly sculptural, and gendered garments a forgotten category.

To capture the absurdity that has entangled this recent recollection of American culture, Rogge found an unexpected pen pal. A rather muted correspondence, made of painted images and isolated keywords, with Swiss artist Beni Bischof brings a most sarcastic take on contemporary events. Resistance through irony appears as a coping mechanism if not a motto, printed across clothes, as one considers the ideological shifts and crisis that swiftly redefine ideals and values. The cotton canvas of a blue jean allows for Bischof to spell out his “Do Nothing Club” with his paintbrushes directly on the garment – a nonsensical team around which to happily rally and to cheer.’

– Meryll Rogge

View the full collection here!