PRESENTING THE GUESS USA FW23 COLLECTION
The Fall/Winter 2023 GUESS USA collection, designed by Nicolai Marciano, evolves the Americana style codes at the root of the evolving GUESS USA image – with Eli Russell Linnetz spearheading all photography and visual language, and Slam Jam overseeing distribution.
As if baked in the Californian sun, the rustic, vintage-style denim and cracked leather integral to the first two chapters of the GUESS USA story are expanded upon. Still grounded in the GUESS extensive archive, this third collection places an increased focus on silhouette.
Toying with shapes and proportions, Fall/Winter ’23 has an experimental bent. Flocked and leather-like cracked denim can be seen across flared and wide-legged baggy jeans, whilst other styles of denim come with embellished detailing and perforated with lace panels.
The line showcases the artisanal capabilities born straight out of the GUESS USA atelier, seen across a frayed denim overcoat, patchwork, lace-up jeans and a denim vest littered with gold hardware – all sewn, washed and handcrafted in the brand’s Los Angeles headquarters.
Elsewhere, flickers of faux fur are seen alongside hedonistic mini-skirts and corsets, worn-out western-inspired accessories, and suede down jackets. Shot through an Americana lens, premium, cracked leather tailored overcoats and cropped trucker jackets with shearling collars adopt the stylings of rare finds you’d discover in artisanal, roadside boutiques strewn across the West Coast.
On the collection, Nicolai states: “The third collection we’ve begun pushing the envelope when it comes to the silhouettes and the fit. We are in constant play between leather and denim.”
The campaign reflects on the sense of adventure Nicolai and Eli have experienced upon exploring the GUESS archive.
Speaking of the imagery, Eli says: “[In the campaign], the female lead is unearthing the past; clothes that had been stored away for a long time now emerge from crates and are now entering the world after being hidden away. GUESS has always been at the forefront of provocative imagery; I like creating powerful images that capture that.”