At the pulsating heart of Berlin Fashion Week, PLNGNS, the brainchild of the Ukrainian visionary Mitya Hontarenko, made its avant-garde debut, thrusting a full-look streetwear collection into the fashion fray. I must confess, the menswear pieces particularly struck a chord with me, resonating with a sense of renegade sophistication.
Known predominantly for his transformative wizardry with upcycled sneakers, Hontarenko’s leap into apparel marries the raw essence of sustainability with the sleek edge of modern design. Through a mesmerizing alchemy of reincarnation, shoes and attire once considered at the end of their life cycle are reimagined. The process mirrors a meticulous dissection, hand-deconstructing the original into a myriad of segments, only to resurrect them with an architectural finesse that defies the old to welcome the new.
www.instagram.com/plngns.world
@berlinfashionwe
@fashioncouncilgermany
Photography @jamescochranephoto
“It is an art that one can wear,” Hontarenko pronounces, and this ethos intricately weaves itself throughout the “Ain’t it different” collection—a sartorial hymn to the change he wishes to see in the fashion oligarchy’s ethos and ecological footprint.
The collection itself? A parade of reinvented silhouettes: think oversized leather jackets locking arms with utilitarian trousers, a cascade of a pink pleated skirt allying with its shirt counterpart, topped off with an XXL cap, and tracksuits redefined in flowing textiles accented by a Balaclava—all testaments to the skilful craft underpinning PLNGNS’ artistic core.
Not just a show of clothing, but an orchestration of cultural symphony, the reveal, set against a soundtrack that blended electronic beats and Ukrainian folk harmonies amidst a landscape littered with discarded garments, culminated beneath the proud drape of the Ukrainian flag—a silent roar of political discourse.
Community isn’t just a buzzword for PLNGNS; it’s the label’s pulsating beat. “It’s about the connection between people and our shared duty to each other and the globe we all call home,” asserts Hontarenko.
Earning accolades and prize money from the “Berlin Contemporary” circle, an initiative by the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises alongside the Fashion Council Germany, PLNGNS carved its space at the intersection of cultural consciousness and fashion’s future. And trust me, it’s just the beginning.
