Tim Coppens Spring/Summer ’16

This season at RSVP Gallery, we are proud to present another pupil from the prestigious Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp: Tim Coppens. Indubitably affected by his tenure at Ralph Lauren and Adidas, the Belgian-born New York-based Coppens has established his name in the menswear market with a signature sporty style that tip-toes on the boundary between the luxe and the reserved.

Perhaps channeling his Belgian roots, Coppens proceeds to elevate performancewear basics beyond their expected threshold. Indeed, Tim isn’t the only alumnus of the Royal Academy to grow up in a small Belgian village with little to no access to fashion before his time in Antwerp; thus, one shouldn’t easily overlook the Academy’s influence on Coppens’ designs. Comparable to most of his peers from the era, the voice of fellow Belgian and legendary designer Martin Margiela lingers on in Tim’s works: Margiela’s techniques of deconstruction and reinvention are just some of the weapons procured by Coppens for his creative arsenal. In a market where so many designers rely on careless peacocking to even make a sound, Coppens yields instead for well-executed silence. Whether it is a juxtaposition of plaid carefully assembled atop a plain tee, or the subtraction of fabric in exchange for the addition of a nylon pocket, nothing Coppens does ever seems to be loud. As a result, his clothes are never noisy.

The Tim Coppens collection is now available at RSVP Gallery.