Apar's Fulfilling Fashion
Adam Rice of Apar on the fashion design, to end all fashion design.
During London Fashion Week, I was fortunate enough to meet Adam Rice of the modern fashion label Apar. Working with noble fabrics and novel techniques, Apar’s collections are cut from a different cloth. Inspired by sculpture instead, the label’s three ‘editions’, released over two years of creation so far, are sleek and subversive.
Having worked at Alexander McQueen, Dior Homme and Dries Van Noten before leading his own teams, Adam approaches the fashion industry from a new angle for his own label. With a focus on product design, his pieces are tweaked and re-released in new fabrications and, overall, the end-goal is to factor in a garment’s end-of-life, once it has been worn every which way.
It’s hard to understand the ingenuity of Apar’s designs without trying them on for yourself, but, until then, this interview will have to suffice.
Let’s start with why you decided to start your label. How has the journey been so far?
The opportunity arose from my previous job [more on this later], where my employers asked whether I wanted to be a part of an investment opportunity to launch my own brand. I had to think long and hard about it because I didn't want to just create more products and put anything out there. It really needed to be something that was personal and considered. After 15-plus years of working for other people, I needed to reconnect with my own personal aesthetic.
I'm very much a product designer, and I want my products to make people feel good and transform them from one persona to another. I don't know if I ever thought I was really capable of that before, but this journey has made me realise that I am. It's been wonderful to have the luxury to design and create a universe, which is not only for me but also for the wearer. I create pieces that resonate with people, which I find really, really fulfilling.
What challenges have you met along the way?
I'm currently a one-man band, and it's hard to juggle running a business with creating and maintaining a certain level of design. I have high standards, and these are not always easy to achieve when you don't have a team working for you. Maybe I should have started a little bit easy, I feel like I've set a bar.
You have really set the bar – sourcing your fabrics from Italy and Japan and making (immaculately) in England.
Italy and Japan excel in creating innovative and noble fabrics. And I've always loved the idea of couture for men. I love those fine fabrics that were once used in the 50s and 40s, and I want to see how they can be used in a more contemporary way today. There's a lot of research and consideration that goes into refining the right fabric for the right piece.
Sometimes, it's about keeping a shape, but seeing it through a different lens by attributing a different fabric. It's not that there's only one fabric that could be good for that one piece. I like to see the manifestation of that piece in many different fabrics. You can work with what you've got and really adapt to the fabrics that are more seasonal.
Is there a kind of person or community you have in mind when you are creating?
I feel like it comes from a menswear conduit. But I create for all genders, making sure I'm thinking of everyone as much as possible. I have my core inspiration, including designers like Giorgio Armani and his ilk. But I start from a concept.
For my second season, I was looking at the artist Lucio Fontana, and I really wanted to explore ways in which I could get that sort of cut or tear from his work into the collection in an explorative way.
A lot of artists say that their work is never finished. I feel like that's the same in design. You don’t necessarily have to go back to the drawing board and start again, but instead, pick up from where you left off. That trench coat can always be explored in a different way. It's a great way of thinking of design because you're not over-creating and you're not over-producing.
A lot of artists say that their work is never finished. I feel like that's the same in design.
Sculpture also inspires you.
I think a lot of people, quite rightly, link fashion with architecture. For me, architecture is about the structure. It's about these internal workings that hold an external appearance. Instead, I try to approach some of my designs through the idea of sculpture. It’s not that you're chipping away, but it's filling the void.
I work a lot with silhouette. As an example, I use a twisted construction on a pair of trousers with corsetry boning on the outside seam to maintain the shape and create this sort of more sculptural silhouette.
Similarly, I use specific cuts and constructions to reshape and remould a little bit the body, but always in a way that makes it accessible for people. It's desirable, it's wearable, but it's also something really new and modern.
Richard Serra and Isamu Noguchi are some of my favourite sculptors. I always return to these artists, because I find them a source of inspiration.
I try to approach some of my designs through the idea of sculpture. It’s not that you're chipping away, but it's filling the void.
There is an ingenuity to your designs, which is only fully realised when you try them on. What is your aim for each of your pieces?
Each piece can be worn in a number of different ways, and I encourage it. Nothing brings me more joy than seeing somebody find their center with a piece, they are adaptive to someone's circumstance. It's almost like these pieces are people, and you have to meet them.
It's almost like these pieces are people, and you have to meet them.
What is your view of fashion at the moment?
I do feel like we are returning to enjoying formal wear and moving away from the hoodies and track pants look that dominated the market and merchandisers' range plans for so long. And there is a return to not necessarily dressing up, but to tailoring and having a little bit more structure. A little bit more boldness in the silhouette is definitely coming back.
It feels like every day is a news day in the fashion industry at the moment. What's giving you hope about the fashion industry at the moment?
I think all of this upheaval is really good. Sometimes, I feel like the change is not actually a change at all – we're just swapping one person for another. I hope we have a future with a more diverse range of designers. It's really encouraging to see more female designers – I think this is really important. Sarah Burton [at Givenchy] and Louise Trotter [moving to Bottega Veneta] are a step in the right direction. Whether they're the best for the brand that they've gone to, time will tell. And, you know, if Kering is listening, I'm free for Balenciaga.
I can see that – a little bit less street wear, a little bit more elegant…
I sit in between Nicolas Ghesquière and a bit of Demna, through the lens of Martin Margiela. I think those universes marry so well together.
At this point, we should go over your background.
So, I started my studies at the London College of Fashion and I moved from a product course to a menswear course and interned at Alexander McQueen. And then from there, I moved to the Royal College of Art. I didn't have the maturity that was required to go into work yet. I'm a bit of a slow burner, which is good. I'll be around in forty years’ time! It took me a long time to get to a point where I could express myself as a designer.
First, I landed a job at Dior Homme under the artistic direction of Kris Van Assche. We aligned a lot, aesthetic-wise. I was there for six months before going to Dries Van Noten. Dries liked younger creatives to bring in a bit of freshness, which I think is really, really clever of him. I moved to Antwerp for two and a half years. There, I worked on a number of different products and saw a whole holistic vision. It's a wonderful place if you love fashion and textiles, colours and prints. These were very, very elaborate collections.
From Dries, I went back to Paris and worked for a brand called WooYoungMi. It's a Korean brand, but they wanted to have a more European aesthetic, and they set up a Paris studio for which I was in charge. I traveled to Korea four times a year to work on the collection, which was eye-opening.
From there, I moved to the UK to work for Qasimi, a Middle Eastern brand based in London. We created beautiful pieces with a wonderful color palette. Hoor al Qasimi (also president and director of Sharjah Art Foundation) taught me a lot about many different artists from the Global South, which was so inspiring for me.
Sorry for that long-winded CV!
I often feel like I’m interviewing people for a job, when I’m interviewing them for a story… Looking forward now, what are your goals for Apar?
I do want Apar to become successful, but it's a double-edged sword because I don't want to overproduce. It will never be bigger than a medium-sized brand, but I would love to get to a point where I can start to really consider end-of-life product design. I think every time that we design something, we need to already factor in the end of life. That's something that's really important to me. I also would love to have a store, and move into lifestyle, although that is very cliché. When you're looking at garments in a particular way and you're fastidious about that, you come home, and you're looking at your house, and you want to treat it in the same way. Space and interior design, I think, are really integral to comfort. I think Dries does this really beautifully. You go into his shops, and I've had the fortune to go to his house, and it’s not the same, but I can see the same intent. I love the way it makes me feel.
Shop For All Seasons x Apar
Spring –
The Trench Coat in a ‘technical glass’ is a coated nylon with a water-repellent aspect.
Summer –
The Carré Draped Top in printed poplin (coming soon) started from a simple carré scarf. It has minimal draping, but maximum impact.
Autumn –
The Twisted Leg Trousers are becoming an iconic piece of the brand.
Winter –
The Tailored Coat is a broad-shouldered, tapered coat with a double-tipped belt system. The top belt loop is for a higher waist point, which is often on a woman's. The lower one is for a guy's waist point.
Feeling Inspired
Adam Rice of Apar shares what he’s…
Reading –
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Controversial, but I get so inspired by her character's quest to achieve greatness.
Watching –
Goodbye Horses: The Many Lives of Q Lazzarus. Totally inspiring to learn more about Q Lazzarus.
Listening –
Caroline Polachek. For me, her music is an eclectic fusion of sounds like that of Dolores O'Riordan (The Cranberries) and Kate Bush, channelled through the medium of avant-pop.
Following –
@_yekibood_. I love their sharp, rich visual eye.