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Dusen Dusen

posted by Saskia Pomeroy January 30, 2014

Fans of Brooklyn-based fashion line Dusen Dusen will be familiar with designer Ellen Van Dusen’s trademark style: bold, graphic, and cheeky prints on easygoing silhouettes. This Spring, Dusen Dusen plays a few tricks with her quirky patterns. Inspired by the colorful and hypnotic kinetic art from the 80s—Yaacov Agam, Jesus Rafael Soto, and Carlos Cruz Diez are heavy influencers—Dusen Dusen’s Spring line reminds of a high school physics lesson: kinetic energy are objects that have movement, or the mere perception of movement.In sartorial terms, that means this season serves up geometric shapes, curves, angles, and straight lines that chaotically (but methodically) overlap in unexpected colorways. What results is a collection of optical sensations: “I’m really into how you could look at something from one angle, and how it looks completely different from another angle,” says Van Dusen. “I’ve always been interested in perception and the visual process, and these artists were able to use properties of the way the eye works to manipulate the experience of the viewer.” In addition to the visually playful prints of moiré, lenticular, and formica (tip: Google image for a good time!), other highlight pieces from this season include crayonbright pants, grownup overalls, and an oversized buttonup dress.

The clothes aren’t the only thing optical this year. A foray into a new accessory, Spring 2014 also introduces a line of Dusen Dusen sunglasses. Using basic shapes—the Circle, the Square, and the Triangle (and yes, those are also the style names!)—the Dusen Dusen eyewear collection features 12 unisexfriendly sunnies, which are all made in Italy. “I did a lot of cutting out paper versions and holding them up to my own face, and to friends’ faces,” Van Dusen recalls. “I probably cut out about 50 pieces per style before settling on the final shapes.”