John Malkovich’s Technobohemian x Yoox.com

Today marks the launch of Renaissance man John Malkovich’s second fashion label (that’s right, he’s had two) Technobohemian‘s collaboration with online retailer Yoox.com on a men’s beachwear capsule collection that includes t-shirts, Bermudas, deconstructed jackets, and a few accessories. Malkovich founded Technobohemian in 2010, after the opening of his first fashion company, Mrs. Mudd, in 2002, and Mrs. Mudd’s closing somewhere between 2007 and 2008.

It’s a bold move to put out a capsule line from Technobohemian, a brand that is only three collections old and is still finding its footing. In the words of Malkovich, who reportedly designs every sketch personally, his design takes into account “the art of living, and living in art,” which in past seasons has vaguely translated to mixed Italian pastel prints in a sort of Brooks Brothers-y form. The beach capsule collection does succeed in following suit in its parent’s palate and in a light summer-in-the-Hamptons feel. The question, though, should not be, “is it similar to Technobohemian?” but rather, is it different than anything else on the e-commerce platform? The goal of a capsule collection is to translate a designer’s dynamic point of view into an arena for larger possible recognition; it’s a calling card to the masses. The issue is that none of John Malkovich’s x Yoox clothing makes you think of John Malkovich at all.