Kostas Murkudis Takes Flight Again
Last Friday, the opening night of Berlin Gallery Weekend, the German label Closed (founded in 1978), presented its first capsule collection with new creative director Kostas Murkudis. The former first design assistant of Helmut Lang, Murkudis looked to the lifestyle of the nomad generation, specifically the free spirits who’ve chosen untethered lives and jobs for themselves.
A frequent traveler himself, Murkudis picked a favorite piece of clothing from his own closet—vintage aviator overalls—as the starting point for the collection, SKYWALK. The ensuing unisex pieces are small enough to fit into a single bag, but able to cover the basic needs of a wardrobe on the go. By playing with deconstruction and reconstruction, Murkudis replicated the cut and details of the overalls into a shirt, a jacket, and pants, as well as sweatshirts, a trenchcoat and two tees—all made in Italy of the finest materials.
For the launch event in Berlin, Murkudis invited his friend and longtime collaborator, the artist Carsten Nicolai, to create an art film. Called future past perfect pt. 04 (stratus), the video documents Nicolai’s ongoing interest in cloud formations with footage he’s filmed over the last 12 years, a fitting complement to the transient nature of Murkudis’ debut for Closed.