BAZAAR

Within the first year ofhis brand’s launch in 2015, thecollection Matthew Adams Dolanpresented for his MFA graduation showat Parsons was stocked at Opening CeremonyNYC. In its second year, Rihanna pre-ordered hisSpring 2016 line, almost in its entirety, sporting it inher first Fenty beauty campaign and the music videofor Wild Thoughts (2017). Now in his third year, thedesigner has been announced as a finalist for theprestigious LVMH Prize after a successful second outing atNew York Fashion Week.At the presentation for his Fall/Winter 2018 collection,18-year-old Mumbai-born model Naomi Janumala opened theshow. “When it comes to casting, I have always thought it to bevery important to be representative of diversity. As an Americanbrand, based in New York, you need to be indicative of what thecountry really looks like,” says Dolan about making this choice.Something of a multicultural mix himself, Dolan was born inBoston and raised in Sydney, Japan, and Switzerland, before movingto settle in the Big Apple. (His atelier is in South Seaport in NewYork.) “We wanted the first look to be a strong statement ofsomething that felt very simple and effortless, that is what theessence of American fashion comes down to. Naomi perfectlyembodies the confident spirit of the youth.”It’s true that there is an inherent coolness sewn into Dolan’spieces. Proportion play has become something of a signaturefor the designer, evidenced by his Spring 2018 line. As is so often hisstarting point, Dolan took American workwear classics and experimentedon them with varying degrees of volume, resulting in blown-outbutton-up shirting, generous cable-knit cardigans, trucker jackets cutwith swing backs, and blazers with linebacker shoulders.Over the next few months, Dolan will be working on his nextcollection to be presented in September in New York. He alsoplans on expanding the business and his team—at the momenthe is the only one working on the creative aspects—and hehopes to take a trip to India. “I have always been obsessedwith Wes Anderson’s The Darjeeling Limited (2007) andthat really made me want to visit. And the food, ofcourse. My dad taught himself to cook so manyIndian dishes. He would spend the wholeday in the kitchen cooking curries forus,” says Dolan. ■By Divya Bala``````pr``````om``````isin``````g^yo``````un``````g^ d``````es``````ign``````eran``````d^ h``````is^ p``````lay``````fultake``````on``````Rih``````an``````na``````and``````La``````dyGaga^ a``````re^ f``````ans``````of th``````is^``````A``````m``````er``````ican``````cl``````as``````sics.^ Meet^ M``````atthe``````w^ A``````dam``````s^ Do``````lan.ONE``````T``````OWATCHBazaarSTYLERunway looks from Matthew Adams Dolan’s Spring 2018 and Fall 2018 showsIMAGES COURTESY MATTHEW ADAMS DOLAN