Exploring Volume and Proportion
Berthold’s collection explored the tension between the body and the clothes that surround it, turning ideas of restriction, protection and physical structure into a distinctive language of contemporary menswear. Designed by Raimund Berthold, the collection drew inspiration from scars, stitches, prosthetics, metal braces and athletic tape, translating these references into exaggerated silhouettes and unusual construction. The result was clothing that felt both protective and expressive; oversized, elongated and sculptural, while retaining a distinctly modern sense of tailoring. Volume was central to the collection. Berthold pushed proportions through wide trousers, oversized tunics, winter coats and boxy outerwear, creating silhouettes that moved away from conventional menswear structure. Long, exaggerated sleeves were particularly important, while some garments featured fins extending from trousers or across the backs of blousons. These details gave the clothing an almost architectural quality, as though the garments were being shaped around the body rather than simply worn over it. The effect was striking without becoming theatrical for its own sake. Each exaggerated proportion remained connected to the practical idea of clothing as something that protects, supports and frames the body.
Restriction Becomes Design
The concept of restriction ran throughout the collection. Berthold looked at medical supports, athletic tape and prosthetic forms as sources of inspiration, transforming their functional qualities into fashion. Skinny trousers were split at the knee or appeared corseted against the torso, while bomber jackets incorporated open sections around the elbows. Body-hugging pieces were contrasted with much wider trousers and oversized outer layers. This push and pull created one of the collection’s defining characteristics: garments seemed simultaneously to constrain and release the body.
Texture and Contrast
The material palette reinforced this sense of tension. Rich felted wool, technical fabrics, mohair, cotton suiting and leather-inspired textures were brought together to create surfaces that could feel fuzzy, rough, crisp or soft. Colour was equally controlled. Polar white, heavy black and a deep bruise-like tone formed the core palette, giving the collection a stark, almost clinical atmosphere. The limited colour range allowed the unusual shapes and textures to become even more pronounced.
A Clinical, Sculptural Mood
The presentation’s visual world complemented the clothing. The collection was conceived around imagery of hospital corridors, body braces and bandaged forms, creating an atmosphere that felt clinical but highly considered. Rather than treating these references literally, Berthold translated them into silhouette and construction. Bandaging became layering and volume; braces became structural lines; prosthetics became sculptural references. This is what gives the collection its distinctive character: an abstract interpretation of the body rather than a straightforward reproduction of medical imagery.
CARRO Studio Behind the Lens
CARRO Studio’s photography captures the architectural qualities of Berthold’s work particularly well. The camera allows the viewer to focus on the relationship between the body and the garment; the proportions of the sleeves, the fall of the trousers, the structure of the outerwear and the details that interrupt otherwise clean surfaces. The photographs become a record of the collection’s physical presence. Berthold’s designs are about shape and dimension, and CARRO’s images preserve those qualities through carefully observed fashion photography. Berthold’s collection demonstrates how an abstract idea can become a complete fashion language. Restriction, support and protection are translated into exaggerated proportions, unusual cuts and tactile fabrics, resulting in menswear that feels experimental without abandoning functionality. Through CARRO Studio’s lens, the collection becomes a study of the body, structure and movement, fashion shaped by the tension between control and freedom.
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