Damir Doma, the quiet that caused the storm

Amongst the artists that inspire Swide are more than painters and filmmakers and starting from this week we shall be looking at designers who think somewhat outside the fashion box. Of all places to start it seemed that Paris-based designer young Damir Doma was the most fitting.

Swide may have been part of the "throngs of hopefuls waiting to get in" but we do not hold grudges. For a little while now the venue has been a garage in Paris' 3rd arrondissement, which almost feels too suited to the general mood of the clothes but then the overall visual effect is often pretty striking - looking at the latest catwalk show and its wall of dense white smoke is pretty spectacular both in live action and in print.

Damir Doma Autumn 2010.

It all started with menswear but shall not stop at that as women have been introduced on the catwalk and more shall follow.

This might be another case of elusive designer but then his aesthetics are strong enough for his clothing to speak in his name, each stitch an intriguing syllable. German-born of Croatian origins but with a definite Antwerp touc - having worked alongside Raf Simons and the uniquitous Ann D.

Damir Doma Autumn 2010.

The general silouhette can almost become a secondary concern while volumes and cut, often verging on the oversize, are put in the spotlight.

It is all about an artful mix of layers, loose but cleverly adorning a body that is all wrapped up in jersey, which thanks to the Damir Doma treatment becomes a noble and so very interesting fabric. Knits are another strong point, as seen in the Autumn 2010 collection, which gives way to another play on volumes - this time with the addition of waist-cinching belts to create an altogether different silouhette.

Damir Doma Autumn 2010.

The palette is always thought of in order not to overpower the clothes (an unfortunate oversight for quite a few designers): black (much black but then we're talking Belgian influence), scales of grey, all the way down to dirty whites; neutral tones in all sorts of beige, taupes and browns. Now and then a spring collection will offer a touch of colour, but in a way that wouldn't clash with a wardrobe in black (more brick red than magenta). On top of that each season offers a unique print, in small doses but all over the one garment, often toned down by the use of black and white... for an overall impression that of sharp and blurry.

A grand finale at Damir Doma Autumn 2010.

One's eye might be taken aback by the sheer amount of fabric used in a single outfit but upon getting accustomed to the silouhettes then attention is drawn to details - the simplicity of the collar, the use of laces rather than buttons, pockets that get lost in volume,

Damir's work shows us once more that first impressions are deceiving - a newcomer might think the maison caters for a very specific, somewhat limited crows, but then underneath the styling, which somewhat accentuates the garments' stronger visual statements (volume, black etc.), are clothes that would fit in just perfect in many wardrobes.