Julian Zigerli’s A/W 2013 Collection ‘Happy Tears’

Swiss born and Berlin educated designer Julian Zigerli has done a lot in a little time. Since graduating from the University of Art Berlin, Zigerli has founded his own self-titled label, won the Federal Design Prize Switzerland in 2012 and pushed out five collections of refreshing menswear – the last being Happy Tears, which Zigerli presented at Mode Suise Edition 3 in Geneva last week.

In keeping with Zigerli’s aesthetic, Happy Tears includes a variety of sportswear-inspired high technique pieces that the designer presents with purpose. In earlier collections, My Daddy Was A Military Pilot (S/S’13) and To Infinity And Beyond (A/W’12), Zigerli’s intent was to go on a journey with his audience; now, in Happy Tears, he wants you to come back home. The collection takes its name from the duality of tears of joy – that one can be both happy and sad in any moment – and includes prints and cuts that “are reminiscent of the feeling of coming home and at the same time letting go.” While the nostalgia might not be as evident as Zigreli had  intended, there are moments of graphic suspension between the tree-limb textured overalls and tangerine suits.