Philipp Dorner Looks to Bauhaus, Ballroom and Berlin Nightlife

LONDON — Philipp Dorner’s third collection can be nicely summarized in three Bs: Bauhaus, ballroom and Berlin nightlife.

Bauhaus’ pragmatic focus on form following function was fused with inspiration from Dorner’s parents, who moonlight as competitive ballroom dancers in their free time.

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“They said dancing is an exploration of space for them. I connected those two elements together and tried to create a dialogue between architecture, room space, movement and dancing — how to discover space,” the designer explained.

Those opposing references — bare-boned minimalism and louche, heavily bedazzled dancewear worn by his mother for dance competitions — took shape in straight-cut panels used for streamlined suiting, trousers and jackets in signature Bauhausian primary colors of red, yellow and blue paired with brand staples of black and white.

Tailoring has been a part of Philipp Dorner’s life from the tender age of 12. Beginning with an apprenticeship at Hugo Boss, the designer’s repertoire soon grew to include stints at Thom Browne and Brioni.

This season shifted away from traditional suiting with latex-loaded textiles the designer made: fishnet bonded to latex was embellished with rhinestones by Dorner’s mom, while mesh was dipped in liquid latex and then embroidered over. It was a nod to Berlin club culture, something the designer cites as a perennial inspiration.

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