Anthony Hamdan Djendeli defends the cause of women via new collection

By

Chenu Alexis

Published
Apr 11, 2023

Throughout April, Anthony Hamdan Djendeli, Los Angeles-based French designer with Lebanese-Tunisian origin, is unveiling on the walls of the city his new ready-to-wear collection, built in two acts: 'Allegro' and 'Aadagio' - which focuses on the women rights.

Held at the Mr T restaurant in Hollywood, the presentation of the Allegro collection, unveiled to many guests with music and a dance by choreographer Leah Adler, began with a strong message with a first model cutting locks of hair, a highly symbolic gesture in support of Iranian women and victims of repression by the Tehran regime.
 
"The fashion I imagine is a fashion that defends women first," explained Hamdan Djendeli. "Like my last collection, which focused on the paths of immigrant women, Allegro is a musical tribute to women victims of repression, in Afghanistan or Iran, but also in the United States where I live. Women who cannot decide about their own bodies, and who are subject to anti-abortion laws in some states".

To symbolize his speech, Hamdan Djendeli has therefore imagined a series of leotards whose silhouette reveals the belly. "A way to show the fragility of women, their freedom of expression and self-determination," says Hamdan Djendeli. Leotards that are associated with a series of silk tops and pants, with cuts inspired by the dance and presented in black, lilac, yellow and red scarlet. 

Other leotards are also associated with dresses in organza and silk chiffon, "a way to reinterpret the traditional leotard, to give it a new chic and luxurious aspect, to assert the personality of women and their place in society" adds Hamdan Djendeli. Finally, several dresses are associated with leather leashes combined with pouches made by a Parisian leather craftsman, "the ultimate symbol of power that women should have," said Hamdan Djendeli. 
 
Produced in limited series and entirely made in Los Angeles, the Anthony Hamdan Djendeli brand is now distributed in the British boutique Wolf & Badger on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, as well as on via its international website and the designer's e-shop. The leotards are priced between $200 and $350 and the organza and chiffon dresses between $500 and $ 1000.  
 
The designer, originally from the South of France, trained as a pattern maker at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute-Couture in Paris, first collaborated for the designer Martin Grant before starting his first assignments with the major Parisian luxury houses, as well as Chloé, Balmain, Givenchy and Sonia Rykiel.
 

Relocating to New York in 2015, where he joined Bono's team, the singer of the band U2, who was looking to develop and organize the production of his sustainable fashion brand Edun, then supported by LVMH, Hamdan Djendeli moved to Los Angeles four years later. In addition to the launch of his eponymous brand, he collaborates with artists from the music scene, such as Natacha Atlas and Angela Bassett, for whom he designs dresses. 
 
In September, the designer will present the second part, Adagio, of his collection. A project inspired by music, his guiding influence since the beginning of its brand.