Krucible Creative Director Alex Barakat joins Noctis Fashion Editor Florentyna Syperek for a moment of calm, as the brand prepares to launch Drop Two and Three of the ‘Urban Oasis’ collection.
I’m not often one for breakfast in bed, usually rushing through my morning cereal as I check emails and doomscroll, my mind already on the numerous projects I’m juggling that week. However, this day is different. The sun is streaming in – almost as if the PR has agreed on it with the weather gods themselves – to illuminate a carefully curated box, which was delivered to me as part of an immersive breakfast preview of ‘Urban Oasis’ by independent luxury brand Krucible. As I take a moment to fully appreciate the experience, I am impressed by its multisensory aspect, revealing what promises to be a collection deeply rooted in storytelling. Before me is every step of the design process, from the fragrant flowers, dried chamomile and moss symbolic of the original organic inspiration, through copies of handwritten notes and sketches highlighting the design process, to tantalisingly touchable swatches of fabrics included in the final designs. The conversation I have with Krucible Creative Director Alex Barakat later the same day further highlights the intentionality of his brand, a rare quality in a world of mass production and microtrends.
“I wanted to be really vulnerable in what I shared with you,” says Alex as we begin our video call. “I started the project to explore those areas,” something which he acknowledges is not necessarily encouraged when you are male. Dedicated to exploring the duality of identity and our modern world, he calls his designs “fragile armour”, incidentally also the title of his 2023 capsule collection. For Krucible’s latest chapter this is expressed in the “delicateness of flower shapes and cotton contrasted with the starkness of leather. I wanted that asymmetry to come through.” Alex views this as the ultimate expression of luxury. “Asymmetry – it’s the enemy of mass production.” Indeed, each Krucible garment takes between 10 days and 2 weeks to bring to life, with the designer directly involved in the process.
Coming from a multidisciplinary academic background where he pursued symbolic systems, Alex dipped his toes in a variety of industries, ranging from start-ups and tech to music. But ultimately, he was always drawn to the arts, working as a sculptor’s apprentice before embarking on his journey as a self-taught fashion designer. “I love working with my hands, being on my feet all day,” he says, explaining how it is the fabric that truly informs the final design.
Krucible offers both menswear and womenswear, crafted exclusively from luxury deadstock fabrics, such as cotton, silk, and vegan leather, each piece part of a limited run and made to order in their London-based studio to minimise waste and allow for custom fit. As an independent designer, direct client interactions are deeply valued by Alex. Ultimately, “my goal [with the brand] is becoming a part of someone’s life, their memories.” This season the Krucible world extends beyond just clothing, with a selection of one of a kind vintage items also being available, including artisanal items from Morocco – one of locations seen in the accompanying surrealist campaign imagery.
The main theme of all ‘Urban Oasis’ drops is a moment of peace within chaos, inspired amongst other things by Alex’s garden, which he reveals provided him with an escape from the city during lockdown. Having spent his life between the States and London, the designer is no stranger to being on the go, and the contrast between the fast pace of the city versus the tranquillity of nature. Even if for a few minutes, I too indulged in a calm moment of reflection thanks to Krucible. As the brand continues to expand their evolving vision, Drop Two will launch later today (22nd May) exclusively on www.krucible.world, with Drop Three to be released in June.
Words: Florentyna Syperek
Campaign images courtesy of Krucible and I.DEA PR