Russian-born designer Alexandre Plokhov rose to prominence as one half of the design duo behind Cloak, the cult New York menswear label that shuttered in 2007. He founded his eponymous label in 2011 after a period as head designer of Gianni Versace Uomo. Carrying over the same somber design philosophy he developed at Cloak, Plokhov deemphasizes seasonal trends in favor of ritualistically perfected tailoring. Long lines, artful draping, and a rigorously monochromatic palette are the cornerstones of his half Old World, half urban aesthetic.
In his latest Spring 2016 collection, Plokhov’s cyber gothic style tribes were influenced by The Mongoliad, a transmedia franchise developed by the Subutai Corporation and written by Neil Stephenson. In this fictional narrative, feuding monastic and military members are identified via a symbol or by the color of their surcoats. Thus, an ultra-linear color identification system was birthed into “Chapters.” A Black Prologue, Crimson Chapter, Light Sulfur Chapter and Optic White Epilogue which translated into monochromatic dressing for his Spring 2016 collection.
