BLACKANDWHITEARENOTGREY is the most personal collection by Berlin based menswear designer Kai Gerhardt. In this collection he addresses different aspects of consciousness.

„For the first time, I deliberately chose not to work in the conceptual way I had before,” says Kai Gerhardt. His new collection BLACKANDWHITEARENOTGREY does not stem from defined inspiration. Rather, the white and black garments evade any association with the visible and familiar; they are images and interpretations of sudden thoughts and feelings of the designer.

Gerhardt has captured images that passed in front of his inner eyes. He has listened instinctively and followed promptings. „I admitted everything and rated nothing“ explains the designer. With BLACKANDWHITEARENOTGREY, Gerhardt explores perception through all levels of awareness.

„BLACKANDWHITEARENOTGREY is not a collection about contrasts, but rather an experiment with different facets“, says the designer. „It is not about black and white, but about the layers that hide behind the seemingly unique.“

The design of the editorial reflects the collection’s exploration of the levels of consciousness. The models appear to be beings from another world who could only be captured by the camera for a moment. They seem like afterimages of perception. Her expression is insistent but fleeting at the same time.

BLACKANDWHITEARENOTGREY consists of 33 garments and 17 accessories. All garments were made in Berlin from natural fabrics and materials (i.e., wool, linen, cotton, and viscose).

Credit
Photographer: Lukas Rotter
Stylists: Muyao Zhang and Kai Gerhardt
Hair and makeup: Lea Komminoth
Clothes: Kai Gerhardt
Models: Felix von Eicken and Claudio Oliverio

About Kai Gerhardt
Kai Gerhardt founded his eponymous menswear label in Berlin in 2015. His design challenges the boundary between classic pattern-making and free draping. In this way, he creates garments that fulfill their function while freeing themselves from aesthetic tradition. He works with the colors black and white.

Gerhardt studied fashion design at the University of Arts in Berlin. He gained work experience at the Berlin label Mads Dinesen. He was nominated for the German Design Award 2017 and was awarded the 2015 European Fashion
Award FASH. OE Magazines, ODDA magazines and KALTBLUT magazines have already reported on Kai Gerhardt’s collections. In 2016 he presented his fashion as part of the Berlin Fashion Week.