Louis W. Speaks on Channeling Rebellion for His New A.P.C. Collection

A.P.C.'s Louis W. collection channels the student riots of 1986 of France.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Louis W. and A.P.C.'s story is a testament to loyalty. Wong, which is where the W. comes from in Louis W., has been with A.P.C. for over a decade and the French label's creative director Jean Touitou rewarded Wong's loyalty with this line. The collection started as a way for Wong to explore outerwear and throughout the years the designer has made especially good use of leather, creating some of the most coveted jackets—with pricetags to match—to come out of A.P.C. 

"Louis W. is a narrative expressed through jackets," Wong told Complex. "This is radically different from my work at A.P.C., where I work around a very precise and iconic aesthetic." Wong says that there are shared principles, though. "Of course there are a lot of links," he said. "The need for authenticity, the reject of luxury." 

There remains a large focus on leather in this new collection, but sheep were also a major contributor as shearling inspired by the student riots in France in May 1968 plays a big role. "It’s more about a specific style, the French student style and how shearling was popular in the late 60s, early 70s," Wong said "That’s why it heavily features shearling bombers in various vintage colors and shapes." 

The rebellion-inspired collection coming out in the middle of great global political unrest is merely a coincidence, according to Wong. "Weirdly, I worked on a riot inspired collection some time before the actual riots took place in Paris, but I guess the social context was already there," Wong explained. "The collection expresses the deep frustration of youth towards the actual society. I don’t want to pretend to give a political comment through fashion but thought it was the right time to address this generation’s feelings." 

In addition to the different varieties of outerwear, there's also a full jumpsuit. However, Wong says his favorite piece is the reworked Ferris bomber (lead image). "The new shearling Ferris that has a specific aged look," Wong said. "The shearling part is on the outside of the garment with a color print on top, which creates a vintage effect. It brings a pure radical look, very different from the more usually luxurious shearling." 

You can shop the new Louis W. for A.P.C. on the label's website now.

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