Meet Duran Lantinck, the new radical designer of fashion

For a truly theatrical and eye-catching runway show during Amsterdam Fashion Week, only designer Duran Lantinck could bring Spanish DJ and performance artist Virgin Maria, Steve Madden shoes and live broadcasts in the Red Light District.

“I like conflicts more than things going smoothly,” Lantin said with a laugh, sitting in the studio a few days before the show on Sept. 1. A nearby design team was putting the finishing touches on the globe. – The silver jacket in the raw and industrial studio, and many coats are stored in the designer’s favorite place to dream up new designs: the sofa. Ever since he can remember, Lantink has been interested in taking designer clothes and piecing them together, or transforming existing work into something new. At the age of 12, he took his grandmother’s table and combined it with my father’s Diesel jeans to create a mini skirt. He has a Frankenstein-like affinity for collecting designer shoes.

The list of high-profile cycling projects that Lantink has been involved in is endless. He had his first runway show just last year; For the May 2022 presentation, the sequel tapped members of SistaazHood, a support group for trans women sex workers in Cape Town, with whom he has worked for nearly a decade, to create a cinematic and emotional scene in which each model created himself. He’s also been spotted wearing celebrity collections to Billie Eilish and Janelle Monáe (remember the pantyhose she wore in the “Pynk” video?), Doja Cat – and more recently, Beyoncé, wearing her latest Tiffany ads.

“I have very expensive taste,” he says. “I always go for the more expensive stuff, but not when I think, ‘Oh, this might be expensive.’ I like the design.” Heavily inspired by his mother’s style, his first taste for fashion came when he saw the collections of Jean Paul Gaultier and Margiela. “In the late ’80s, there was a big party scene in Amsterdam and I used to watch my mom dress up all the time,” he says. “I was more obsessed with those clothes than with the material. So for me, I was looking at fashion from a style point of view, and it made sense to cut those things out and create my own world out of it. And while many labels emerged as sustainable brands, “the thought never came, ‘Let’s start recycling.'”

Because of this, Lantink pieces are one-off, each one unique. “I don’t want to call it couture, but I think it’s important to somehow find your unique style,” he says of the core message behind the brand. “It’s important to people who like my clothes or want to buy my clothes. They don’t necessarily have to be part of a group or community. They can be very individualistic who like to express themselves in A. [certain] way”

For the Steve Madden event mentioned in the Amsterdam Fashion Week, Lantinck is careful not to mention it as a collaboration, but a “set night”. Steve Madden’s distinctly-polar-opposite bags and shoes lined the walls of the Moulin Rouge club as various acts selected by Lantink stepped out to perform. The evening’s headliner, Virgin Maria, opened the show in a laser bra, then closed the scene alternating between pole dancing and DJing, wearing a Lantinck globular jacket, sunglasses, a G-string bikini and her signature look. The artist Berat Bebek sings the song around the picture.Perhaps the most visually stunning singer and movement artist Christian Yav wears an oversized and boxer red dress and his performance is spiritual.

“The red light district is seen as touristy and drug-ridden, but somehow it’s the most beautiful part of Amsterdam,” Lantink says. “I really wanted to do something to pay respect to sex work and all these things that happen in the area.”

Lantinck’s aesthetic is completely extreme, a bit meme-like and deeply personal to him. Think: a full-length leopard coat, cut from existing Dries van Noten and Stand Studio jackets; Or jaw-dropping black dresses inspired by Balenciaga and Acne Studios outfits. “I always say, ‘I think those sleeves would be great, or those pants would be a great outfit.’ This is just my opinion.”

Sure, Lantink is part of the ubiquitous designer upcycle these days, but instead of taking fabric scraps or hand-me-downs, the Spelurgy designer isn’t afraid to cut fashion. Another thing that is unique about Lantink is its attitude towards the title of “designer”. Calling himself an artist and a curator, he easily switches. “I wish it was open,” he says. “If you’re looking for materials, you’re preparing the lesson,” he said. “Having an eye to see what works or what doesn’t work is what I’m exploring right now.” Next, the designer will travel to Paris full-time, and in January will show a cruise in the city. If his latest show is anything to go by, it’s sure to be revolutionary.