Chris Leba Proves ‘Punk Is Forever’ With R13 Resort 2025 Collection
“If you look at a Porsche from 1960 to now, you can see it’s the same thing except it evolves, and I feel like all of our designs are like this. It’s never really out of the blue, but builds on previous seasons,” Chris Leba said of his continual design philosophy with R13.
His resort builds on the brand’s punk ethos, twisting traditional and classic silhouettes and wardrobe building with contrasting proportions.
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Take for instance the first look in his collection: an elevated, moody take on the leather motorcycle jacket with denim jeans and a T-shirt, which Leba dubbed the “Marlon Brando look.” Another version came with cropped and cinched proportions and was paired with a stellar pair of bright blue shirred cargos, while little denim jackets with extended sherpa collars nicely contrasted leggy, flared leather trousers.
Leba described denim and leather as the yin and yang of cool – and here, they are. Next to denim, he built upon fall’s heavier focus on leather jackets with more leather bottoms, such as olive leather flight pants or athletic waistband detailed cargo shorts, for resort, as to not “compete against ourselves.”
He continued to push the envelope on classics by “mixing out” fabrications, he said, seen in a hybrid corduroy and canvas pant; color- and fabric-blocked military liner jackets, and myriad layers with vintage parachute-inspired contrast taping details (on dresses, skirts, etc.). The looks were styled with further contrasting proportions in mind: baggy, cinch-able hoodies next to skin-baring, tucked-up tops; a great nubby cardigan with extended collar or fluid leopard layers, etc. Topped off with hardware-adorned platforms and new bags or leg warmer-connected shoes, the looks exuded a strong mood, but were ultimately easy to wear.
“It’s really amazing to me: at the core of this girl, she’s so timeless because these elements are alive today among the young — it becomes like a language in which you speak. It’s no longer, ‘Oh, that’s this trend.’ Punk is forever,” Leba said of his ultra-cool collection.
Launch Gallery: R13 Resort 2025 Ready-to-Wear Collection
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