Commission Spring 2023 Ready-to-Wear Collection

Few designers encapsulate the actual emotions they are feeling when they are designing a collection and translate them into garments quite like Commission’s design duo Dylan Cao and Jin Kay (Huy Luong is no longer with the label). Spring was inspired by “an intense period of changes for us in our personal lives,” said Cao. “We find the change romantic but also subversive in its unpredictability.”

That unpredictability showed up in twisted seam details in almost every garment: in the red track-inspired pants that open the look book; in the way jackets and shirts were cut to purposefully stay half open when worn (not a styling trick for the look book, with binder clips on the garments!); in jersey tanks and silk dresses; and in hoodies that were devoid of their usual frumpiness. The twisted seams were not just details that denote a topsy-turvy world, but they engaged the fit and silhouette of the clothes on the body, like the oversized button-down shirt cut with a lower collar so that it hung forward on the body.

Meanwhile, inside-out details in trousers especially served a healthy dose of subversiveness, like an inside-out fly, or a waistband laid the wrong way. Continuing Commission’s investigation and deconstruction of typical all-American sportswear, an intricately knit argyle sweater was constructed wrong-side out and then patchworked and embroidered with contrasting bouclé yarn. Sporty mesh used for soccer jerseys was embroidered in asymmetrical stripes for an unexpected dressed-up look.

“There are other elements of youth culture that we touch upon, like rave culture and cyber goth and even Harajuku,” said Cao. You could see hints of those subcultures in certain aspects of the fit or the styling—like the extra-wide jeans made from raw denim or the extra-short skirts that dominated the womenswear offerings—but Commission’s clothes are always grounded in real life, made for adults who do not wish to play dress-up in the fits of their youth but also aren’t trying to forget where they came from.

A white dress with twisted fabric details and ruffles galore was built upon a power mesh base that would hold its wearer in, while appearing to be falling off the body. Accessorized with two black leather belts, it would make a fine wedding dress for those who don’t wish to abandon their edgy aesthetic on their big day in favor of sweetheart necklaces or pearl embellishments. It isn’t a coincidence that Kay and Cao have been approached to design wedding dresses a few times. “Women don’t want a wedding dress; they just want a cool dress,” said Cao. Although, of course, that could also explain why their whole approach works so well. Men, women, and nonbinary folks alike just want to wear cool clothes that say something about themselves and the experiences they’ve lived through, and at Commission, Kay and Cao always deliver.