Taylor Thompson is back in New York with his latest for 5000, which he presented by appointment at a showroom off the High Line. He said at a walkthrough that this season his hope was to “focus on good design.” Not an entirely shocking statement coming from a designer with his technical ambitions. The pleasant surprise was that this did not mean Thompson had abandoned them in favor of simpler, more straightforward pieces, but rather that he had finessed and refined his creative output further.
“I was trying to find peace and quiet throughout the collection,” Thompson said, “and focus on making things well and just good for everyday wear.” For this reason, he said, he forwent a concept, considering instead a fundamental idea in Japanese design theory called Ma (間). It dictates that negative space is as crucial to a composition as are the elements themselves. Meaning, empty spaces are not so, and are instead a deliberate void that bring balance and harmony to the whole.
In terms of his clothes, this meant that Thompson had, for the most part, trimmed the excess. A particular standout was a lapelless jacket that had a plain, closed front and opened at the back—it was elegant and sophisticated, and above all unfussy. He also made super wide trousers and shorts that flared in volume at the legs by way of two ingeniously constructed pleats.
“This entire ethos of what is good design, and how we push good design and ideas and silhouettes while making things good, that’s what I want 5000 to be” Thompson said, “creating space for people to have a little bit of peace and calm.” This past week, Thompson received a nomination for Emerging Designer of the Year for the CFDA Fashion Awards happening later this year. It’s an award that is voted on by his industry colleagues and peers—a timely confirmation he’s moving forward in the right direction.
