Qasimi AW19 The Urban Ranger
A revival of the mythology of Urban Ranger lacing practicality with hedonistic adventure, and subtlety with daring self-definition
Photography by Hark1karanReview by Rhona Chioma Ezuma
Walking down to the bottom of the colosseum-like venue where Qasimi’s autumn winter 19 collection was about to debut, guests were transported into an underground world. The sense of this underground world was felt literally ( my signal was nowhere in sight), but also emotionally as the tension imbued in the air.
In front of seated guests, a three-floor long scaffolding of stairs was stacked against the theatre’s column plinths, a perfect nod to Qasimi’s tastes of intermingling classical and historical worlds with contemporary modernity. Before the show had even begun a feeling of suspense permeated from this structure in the air, but as the lights dimmed and pounding techno ensued from speakers, it was revealed that it was down this industrial container that the models would emerge, and our show had started.
The inspiration behind the collection was urban nomadism. In the press release, Khalid Qasimi, the brand's creative director hinted that in the politically fragile time we are living in, with uncertainty becoming the norm, escapism and utopian pursuits for the self may be the only route to survival. This message came through considerably in looks featuring biker padding and Komono’s round-specs “Yoko’ sunglasses. Connecting to his UAE heritage, Qasimi made use of Arabic text. On sweatshirts and t-shirts statements like ‘A passion for something absent’ and ‘Lost as you are’ read like poetic fragment left in hiatus.
