Yigal Azrouël is the kind of designer who prioritizes technique over flash.
The most exciting moments in Azrouël’s resort 2027 are ones that don’t necessarily announce themselves. In an instance of fashion cross-pollination, he managed to blend a cashmere sweater and a denim jacket into a single crewneck, the blue denim fading into the soft gray cashmere. It’s a process that Azrouël has developed over the years, involving painstaking washing, gluing, and cashmere brushing. “It takes a really long time,” he said. “It’s done by hand, so every piece is going to look different.”
Azrouël also continued experimenting with leather, as seen in an ultra-lightweight funnel-neck trench coat. “It doesn’t look like leather, but it is very, very fine,” he said. “It feels like nylon when you touch it.” Elsewhere, he fashioned a sporty windbreaker—a particular standout in the collection—which he noted was also windproof. To achieve the technique, Azrouël shaves the leather down until it is paper thin and backs it for reinforcement.
Azrouël maintained his masculine-meets-feminine thesis for resort, but sprinkled some prep into his otherwise standard offering. While it was certainly welcome to see him push himself, it’s his commitment to technical innovation that sets him apart. Clearly, it’s paying off—the designer just opened a new location on Madison Avenue. For Azrouël, it’s an opportunity to appeal to a new, Upper East Side customer. “The daughter and the mother can shop there—we get both,” he said.
