A journey last summer to Santa Fe, N.M., sparked the idea for this pre-fall collection. Albert Kriemler found the light there extraordinary, and that led to his use of certain colors, like iris.
“I could see how people are relaxed in all aspects of life [there],” said the designer, adding that includes fashion. “I loved the whole ease.”
His collection — with a focus on some super soft denim pieces, like jeans in blue or a reddish hue — channeled just that. Practicality was paramount, with most pieces meant to be mixed and matched and, when possible, were made reversible, like the shearling coat.
The iris color blossomed in a suit for women made in a tweedy cashmere fabric and in a twisted wool challis dress. Another standout piece was a twisted cotton trench, which could be sported as a dress or a coat.
This easy-to-wear pre-fall line was chockablock with sublime luxury fabrics Kriemler developed. It also included some colorful geometric looks — another nod to interior, textiles and furniture designer Alexander Girard, whose work Kriemler traveled to Santa Fe to see and that served to inspire Akris’ last spring collection.
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