Ariel and Shimon Ovadia grew up in Brooklyn. As teens, the twin brothers worked in their dad’s warehouse during the summer moving boxes and pallets and helping at their father’s wholesale children’s clothing company, Magic Kids. The objective was to “toughen us up,” says Ariel. Their collection for Spring 2018 was full of that nostalgia with pieces from the 90s that mirrored their teenage years. Even their set design for the show was filled with warehouse boxes and pallets, along with a custom created scent by D.S. & Durga, cleverly named Hot Factory.
As if designing for a version of their younger selves, the clothing centered on this particular era of their lives: the late 90s. “All the cool kids at school wore baseball jackets, but we couldn’t afford one, so we’re doing that now” the brothers explain. Many of the pieces in the collection are a certain subset of retro-cool urban remixes of everyday staples. What makes them special are the prints. Added to the mix was a specific graphic quality threaded throughout the collection from a collab with Ukranian street art collective, Interesni Kazki. The offbeat touches like irregular buttoning on classic cardigans worn with mismatched “this is all I had to wear” prints in bold colors conjure up an innocent, teenage vibe.
Playful Jungle Themed Prints
“At the time, we were falling in love with fashion, street art, pop culture, sports, everything.” This latest collection illustrates just that with an array of bomber jackets, windbreakers, and 90s striped track pants. The sporty youthfulness plays well with the more structural “grown up” elements of crisp pleating on trousers. One look composed of a wildly printed shirt paired with a clashing plaid suit jacket referenced a particular nostalgic memory of playing dress-up and pretending to be a grown up. As for accessories, nearly every look was accessorized with a bucket hat, and the quintessential 90s cross body bag, (you probably owned one just like it) finished off by a pair of brightly colored Vans. In addition to Vans sneakers, other ensembles featured color blocked shoes that emulated “the way Wu-Tang Clan painted their Wallabees.”
See All the Looks from the Collection
