Eventually, the drawings became the starting point for The DSA. A collection begins with Throup making a curated selection of his sketches, each of which is identified by an archive number, which will be used on the related piece. At The DSA these numeric identifiers replace the logo, and pieces are made in limited editions after which the drawings that inspired them are retired forever. This is one of the ways Throup wants to challenge industry conventions.

A look from Aitor Throup’s debut DSA collection. Photo: Courtesy of Aitor Throup

Genderless and built around everyday staples like hoodies, The DSA was conceived as being accessible to many (the line, which will be available at Dover Street Market is priced from about $110—$225) while retaining the rigor typical of Throup’s practice. His idea is that you will know his work from how it is built, rather than branding. “My obsession with crafting newness through authenticity, crafting objects anatomically from the inside out, [results in] pieces that have a sort of timelessness built into them because they have a story to tell,” he states. The DSA is also designed to be a responsible line—and not just in terms of sustainability. As the pieces are based on the artwork Throup creates in his daily drawing practice, which is a meditation of sorts, they become, conceptually at least, like a kind of mantra, that would will the wearer to make use of their own imaginations—and to share those explorations.

Aitor Throup’s DSA line is logo-free. Photo: Courtesy of Aitor Throup DSA looks are identified by the number associated with a specific drawing in Aitor Throup’s archive. Photo: Courtesy of Aitor Throup

Throup’s not-yet-revealed second project is seemingly more topical. “I’m a transnational,” the designer says. “I identify with Argentina but also Britain and within that, England particularly. What is England? It’s like an identity crisis for Britain [with Brexit]. Me being a very British, very English immigrant, I’m really interested in being able to represent that. So basically I’ve created a world, like I always have, these fantasy worlds and interesting narratives through metaphor.” The difference is that Throup is not mirroring Stanley Kubrick, a constant reference, but instead two other favorite artists. On the face of it, Kendrick Lamar and Coco Chanel seem a strange pair, but both, the designer says, document their own experiences in their work while at the same time translating their histories into abstracted fragments of their identity. “You look at the elements that constitute Chanel,” he continues, “they are fragments of her identity [combined] into this self portrait that equates to a brand. [She had such a] complete commitment to truth and authenticity as an artist [that she] became the narrative.”

A peek at a piece from Aitor Throup’s soon-to-be-revealed menswear line. Photo: Courtesy of Aitor Throup

One of Throup’s gifts as a designer is the ability to conceive of clothing in the round, as if in 3D. He also has a hyperawareness of the many layers that constitute the self and wants to manifest these intangible aspects of existence into material being—in such a way as to reveal meaning and express the imagination—through his work. “Art,” he states, “is simply a form of communication.” Lots of people will be tuning into Throup’s new wavelengths for sure.