Marking Distance Collection 3 during Paris Fashion Week

Shot with a Polaroid Marking Distance Collection 3, presented in Paris during Men’s Paris Fashion Week this June. The turmoil of societal decay, mental manipulations, identity and ideology crisis and how to create beauty in the increasingly maddening cacophony…..For Collection 3, Luka Sabbat teams up again with artist and musician Loko for an even more visceral and personal take on punk ethos. More than ever, Do It Yourself spirit, democratization of creativity and challenging representations of beauty are driving the brand self-expression mission.

To convey raw feelings, they confront the darkest sounds of their personal music culture (referencing the arcanes of death and black metal as well as the legendary 1987 performance of Skinny Puppy) to imageries of religious zealots and their greedy, mind-binding cults (from the Seventies Jonestown disaster to the current saga of televangelist Kenneth Copeland), war mongering and police state paranoia.

The bespoke Couture pieces translate hours of spontaneous yet strenuous handwork into shabby-looking concoctions. Hundreds of leathers and denim pieces are stitched together, waxed, studded, in classic crust punk style, sometimes displaying the bloody stains of the creative toil and the mental battle. A weathered biker jacket looks like a war spoil from the outside but its Italian silk lining is a promise of a brighter time. Dichotomy echoing a deep sense of confusion adds new layers of meanings, sometimes in very subtle ways: up-close, the stripes of a pantsuit reveal intricate cross hand-stitching.

The ready-to wear chapter of Marking Distance Collection 3 seamlessly turns that spirit into wearable pieces all made in Italy. Precisely tailored creations – hybrides of coats, jeans fused with a flag overskirt, velvet military overcoat with studded edges – infused a raw elegance to staples silhouettes. Zipped leather, retooled workwear, army kakis looks and graphic tees referencing Norwegian Black Metal band Mayhem or The Night Porter movie, all feed into the same gut and soul-stirring energy.

MARKING DISTANCE was founded in New York in 2023 by Luka Sabbat. It took the name of the social media diary Luka used to share his travels and all his favorite cultural references and experiences. Just like the original page, the brand is a prolongation of Luka’s life, taste and personality. MARKING DISTANCE is a collaborative creative experience, inspired but subcultures and rooted in reality. Designed in New York, the collections are produced in Italy and sold through a curated network of stores worldwide.