Vetements may have been the most collaboration-happy brand of 2016, unveiling 18 different collabs — with labels as disparate as Juicy Couture, Doc Martens, and Brioni — at its June show. Apparently, that wasn’t enough for Demna Gvasalia and Co., though: The brand has collaborated with Comme des Garçons Shirt on a year-end capsule line of three sweaters with what it describes as “gay, lesbian, and fetish” themes.
A purple sweater is decorated with the labrys, the double-headed axe that has become a lesbian feminist symbol — and its light-purple hue may also be a nod to the “lavender menace” movement of lesbian radical feminists in the 1970s. Another design features the rainbow flag, while the third is emblazoned with a heart. At a time when LGBTQ rights are coming under particular threat, it’s a timely collaboration.
But naturally, since this is Vetements, the designs do not come cheap: Each sweater costs $625. The collaboration is exclusively available at Dover Street Market as of yesterday, but per Racked, the entire stock has almost sold out already.