Fix and Fax. After Show

Ulya Aligulova

Fix and Fax is a new ready-to-wear menswear collection by a Russian born, New York based designer and artist Katya Leonovich that debuted on September 5th during New York Fashion Week. Uniting fine art, fashion, craftsmanship, and innovativeness, the streetwear collection boldly steps into the future of fashion yet at the same time remains very wearable today (if you’re brave enough!).

Although this is Lenovich’s first venture into menswear, the New York-based designer is well-established in the couture womenswear fashion industry, having worked for the Italian high fashion house of Gattinoni before starting her own brand and showcasing her collections during Paris and New York Fashion Weeks. Her style, often described as edgy and avant-garde, has always strived to push boundaries and blur the line between fashion and art.

Leonovich is also a fine artist exhibiting her artwork, which she describes as “the antidote of the casualty of existence”, with Art Alliance New York. Her works, ranging from Pop Art to expressionism and abstraction, all share in common one trait – the artist’s passion for color, which inevitably manifested in her new line. Fix and Fax are actually the names of the artist’s beloved pet rats who make a regular appearance in her paintings where they are imagined as a reincarnation of Frank Sinatra’s famous group of celebrity friends “The Rat Pack”. The pair of rats are depicted living the modern Rat Pack life engaged in various activities from cooking and taking selfies to clubbing and going to the Oscars. These Pop Art paintings made up the basis of the prints in the Spring/Summer 2020 collection. The artist also drew inspiration from wildlife where in many species it is often the male that is more flashy and has an ornate or brightly colored coat, wanting to translate their vibrancy, intricacy, and extravagance.

The daring collection echoed the style of Jean Michel Basquiat whether it was in the vibrant abstraction of the clothes or in the signature dreaded hairstyles that the models sported down the runway. Not one to shy away from experimentation, Leonovich mixed traditional fabrics and silhouettes with unconventional ones, sometimes in one garment, creating a fresh new take on the wardrobe of the man of tomorrow. Bright printed chiffons were paired with hand-painted metallic jeans, while transparent PVC coats and trousers left little to imagination. Oversized loosely hand-knitted sweaters showcased the intricacy of the handiwork and were in some cases combined with vinyl or other fabrics producing a unique contrasting top split in the middle. The line displays Leonovich’s fearlessness, desire for nonconformity, and her vision of the fashion of the future where art combines with complex construction and craftsmanship to conceive a whole new type of apparel.

The line would be incomplete without all the unique accessories that brought the outfits together.  

The hand sculptured colorful pendants from semi-precious stones that adorned the models’ chests were created especially for this collection by jewelry artist Kira Koktysh (Kira Koktysh Art Jewelry) and blended flawlessly with the collection accentuating its unisex appeal. Favoring the most intense and vivid shades, Kira merges organic earth elements with modern materials. Encrusted with Swarovski crystals the necklaces pay ode to nature and its fractals while exemplifying masculine energy.

Also, the jewelry of the Italian designer Nicole Romano was perfect addition to complete the looks of the collection. Her chains goes well together with the masculine images of Fix and Fax menswear line.

The exaggerated oversized newsboy caps featured on the runway were created by hat designer Irina Dratva (ID Hatshop) and had Leonovich’s artwork printed on them as well. Dratva has worked with many fashion designers before, her clientele over the years including Coach, DKNY, and, most recently, Marc Jacobs for whom she, in collaboration with Stephen Jones, has created hats showcased at the Marc Jacobs NYFW Spring/Summer 2020 show.

Long dread hairstyles a la Basquiat were artistically created by the Hair and Makeup agency Augment Tokyo.

The elaborate multicolored boutonnieres on the clothes were made by Andrew Werner’s company Fleur’d Pins.

The show featured some of today’s top male models like Martin Conte, Ibrahim Baaith, Aaron and Andrew Laporte  and attracted high-profile guests such as reality TV personality Miss J. Alexander, celebrity stylist Derek Warburton (MrWarburton Magazine), Jeffrey Felner  and Jurnalist and TV star Michael Musto.

The production of the show and PR campaign was implemented by MAO Public Relations, NYC.