Antwerp-based designer Marcel Sommer approaches fashion with a clear vision: to create clothing that speaks through emotion, texture, and form. With a foundation in bespoke tailoring and patternmaking, followed by four intensive years at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp, his work is shaped by a deep understanding of how form, fabric, and mood intersect. Since launching his label in 2024, Sommer has proposed a new kind of emotional minimalism, one that values structure, restraint, and the expressive potential of craftsmanship.
Sommer’s trajectory reflects a commitment to continuity rather than fragmentation. His training began with an apprenticeship in tailoring from 2015 to 2018, continued with a year focused on patternmaking, and matured in Antwerp, where technical mastery was met with conceptual rigor. In 2024, he was appointed Senior Tutor for Fashion Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, reinforcing his role as both educator and practitioner.
In its first year, the label released six capsule collections, each built around three distinct looks. These capsules are not seasonal dispatches, but iterative studies in silhouette, proportion, and feeling. The goal was to gain a quicker creative turnover and to develop the cut and silhouette of the Arch-type. This evolving structure articulates the brand’s recurring tension between precision and softness, control and emotion.
Every collection draws from an emotional landscape that evolves from one capsule to another. The designs reflect a recurring tension between structure and softness. Brutalist architecture and Japanese photography are key influences. The mood is one of sharp contrasts: garments that are precise yet fluid, architectural yet soulful, modern with a melancholic edge.
Craftsmanship lies at the heart of the brand. In response to an industry that separates design, patternmaking, and production, where a lot of potential and ideas are lost in translation, Sommer integrates every stage into a singular practice. Each garment begins and ends in the designer’s hands. By combining all expertise in one mind, Marcel Sommer can fluidly use creativity and unlock the full potential of a garment.
Marcel Sommer’s collections do not rely on spectacle to assert their presence. They demand attention through precision and restraint, offering depth without excess. In a landscape saturated with speed and superficiality, his work is a reminder that the boldest statements are often the most thoughtful.
Photos: Courtesy of Marcel Sommer
Photographer: Milja Laakso @miljalaakso
MUA: Camilla Catalano @camilla.catalano
Light: Arseniy Litviniuk @arseniylitviniuk
Hair: Sonu Herrera @sonu.herrera and Chavez Cockx @chavezhq
Analog Images: Carmine Iacolare @carmineiacolare
www.marcelsommer.com
@marcel_s0mmer
Gallery: Capsule 3 Collection
