by From her four-bed house share in Hackney, east London, second-year Central Saint Martins textiles student Benét Matthias is working on a backlog of knitwear orders. She did not want to create a business so early in her studies, but the demand is high and she is working at full capacity.
“Most of my sales are from TikTok. I’m sailing around the world to America, Holland, Spain – everywhere, really,” she says. “Customers are a mix of teenagers and people in their 20s, and most of them are women.”
Unlike typical knitwear designers, Matthias uses deconstruction techniques. “It’s ladders and things like they’re falling apart. I create familiar silhouettes and exaggerate the distressed look,” she explains. “It’s a slow trade.”
It is no surprise that Matthias’ work is booming. Oh VogueJanuary cover stars to Balenciaga runways and Tokyo street style, the deconstructed look is trending in 2024. It’s about clothes that can be seen unfinished. Think frayed edges, ripped denim, exposed seams and torn knitwear. It is recognized as a movement against the minimal trends in the Scandi style that have dominated in recent years. Online platform Depop reports a 75% month-on-month increase in searches for deconstructed knitwear. Many hot new designers use recycled materials. The more damaged an object looks, the more deconstructed it is.
In fashion, there will always be an undercurrent of DIY styling and design, but the creatives behind this movement are creating a huge following and buzz. “There’s a desire for a more authentic, put-together look,” says Hannah Almassi, editor of Who What Wear UK, a fashion, beauty and shopping website.
Designer Conner Ives – known for his work with pop star Rihanna – creates deconstructed T-shirt dresses using vintage materials. Menswear designer Jawara Alleyne is another London fashion week name to watch out for, says Almassi. His punk-flecked pieces have been favored by celebrities including Beyoncé over the past year. His DIY approach involves taking quality, well-loved garments and turning them into decorative pieces. VogueThe latest edition also focuses on sustainability and features designers, like Torishéju Dumi, whose deconstructed blazers are made using scraps of fabric salvaged from large wholesale stores.
Ives thinks this approach is one way to do something about the sustainability issues in the fashion industry. “I love the thrill of finding a vintage graphic T-shirt, and finding out what we can do with it makes it even better. This ultimately means that each one is unique.”
Matthias says that she is creating durable items, and the more damage or holes they get, the more deconstructed they look: “My knitwear is handmade, so it takes a lot of time. People are buying it last.”
Deconstructed clothing is the opposite of quiet luxury – the neutral, understated dressing that has established itself as 2023’s dominant aesthetic – but experts say the two looks work side by side. “I’d say it’s less a movement against quiet luxury and more that the ultra-clean minimalist look isn’t for everyone,” says Almassi.
Vintage dealer and designer Sami Miro is a good example of someone who combines this aesthetic with high fashion and luxury, she says, proving that this is not a “style tribe”.
Data analyst and market researcher Molly Rooyakkers, who runs the Instagram account Style Analytics, agrees. “There can be so many big trends at once, and I see this deconstructed and distressed look as a rejection or rebellion against the minimalist, clean-girl, Scandi-style trends we’re seeing.”
It may be different from quiet luxury, but the price tag can be the same. A Balenciaga denim jacket with a raw edge that evokes a sense of chaos? £1,550. A deconstructed layered neoprene minidress by Japanese label Sacai? £583 in the sale.
Unfinished hems and frayed edges are styles we’ve seen before. They are part of the unpolished look promoted by the Antwerp Six, the pioneering group of designers from the 1980s that included Ann Demeulemeester and Dries van Noten, who had a global influence. Their creativity was informed by social circumstances, including the boom in wealth, social unrest, strikes, high unemployment, and the rise of HIV and AIDS.
Designers today also say that the trend is more to sort out the clothes we wear – it’s an emotional response to what’s happening in society. “I’m reluctant to get on a soapbox and cry about all the problems we face,” says Ives. “So this approach felt like a way to do something about it. He is making a statement.”
For 20-year-old Matthias, it feels personal. “I have seen this style as a trend recently, but I would describe my work as an expression of myself. It’s very experimental, and I think it shows individuality.”
