NYFW: Miguel Adrover is back

He decided fashion shouldn't be an exclusive privilege for the rich and famous. Therefore, Spanish bad-boy-avantgarde-designer Miguel Adrover chose to make his come-back in the fashion world by partnering up with the small German organic-apparel company Hess Natur. Therefore also, Adrover decided the presentation of his new collection at New York Fashion Week would not be shown on a catwalk but rather in an art gallery in Chelsea. Anybody can pass by and admire Adrover's new work. 'Work', yes, because it was not exactly a 'ready-to-wear-collection'. 'Art' would be a better description. As fashion editor of the New York Times Cathy Horn put it: maybe some museum will acquire them.

No models, but nine statues made of Moroccan wood, standing in pools of water, dunes or pebbles. The theme, obviously, was nature. The "philadendron" dress was made of brown stitched wool and organic batik that resembled a giant fall leaf. The "Liana" was made of alpaca ropes artistically draped around the statue and the "lagrima" dress looked like colored suede but was actually organic linen twill with pure cotton embroidery with natural pigments.

It all reflects the philosophy of the company: all apparel is made from 100% natural fibers, no synthetics. No harmful chemicals have been used in any aspect of growing or producing apparel. Hess Natur chief executive Wolf Ludge says he hired Mr. Adrover as creative director because he wanted to change his company's "tree hugger" image.

Adrover, who was hailed as the next great young designer in the late nineties, left the fashion stage in 2004 after Bush took over. Economy dropped, financial backing ceased and Adrover felt his freedom of speech was limited. He has always been known to speak out and he views fashion as a medium for social messages. Adrover retreated to his native region on Majorca, where he worked as a bartender until he met Ludge. "With this company, I really feel connected to the world. I can't think about doing only fashion if it's not related to something relevant".

For Hess Natur, ADrover was the only designer they pursued because his philosophy of the role of fashion today mirrors the philosophy of the company: clothes are more than what you wear, they're how you choose to live.

About the collection, Ludge says: 'Of course these are not clothes made to wear. We just wanted to show that anything is possible with eco-friendly fabrics'. The spring collection is inspired by these works and will be for sale online, as Hess Natur is mainly an e-commerce company. But who knows what the future will bring. All big department stores would love to sell Adrover clothing. CEO's of stores such as Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman have visited the gallery this week and Ludge admits he is talking with 'some department stores' about a future cooperation.

Image: Miguel Adrover