Guest article by Maria Passarivaki

It was a matter of time before Dainius Bendikas took his place among the most influential young designers. The Reykjavík-based, 25-year-old Lithuanian fashion designer graduated from the Vilnius Art Academy and with an early vision to specialize in menswear, he interned with the Icelandic designer, Sruli Recht. Today, Dainius claims to have been inspired by Sruli’s mysterious aesthetics; nevertheless, his own imagination has gone beyond the usual. He has rendered the winsome and never-seen-before designs into his personal designing signature.

There are times when we push our imagination into regions that sight has forgotten, with designs enriched by the infinite truth of fashion. Dainius Bendikas' new collection ‘Infinite We Are’ - The Moon Monk Project for A/W 12-13 talks about ‘a sculpted ever-wondering space philosopher - a mind traveler. A character with a dynamic inner personality. A multidimensional infinity - his mind is wide open, perfectly calm, yet simultaneously levitating.’ In an author-like manner, Bendikas conceptualizes the story and gradually becomes obsessed with the characters from the story he is developing, until his creations become the real characters. ‘This motley crew of moon monks is composed of a miscellany of characters who share a profound emotional thread that is marked by their continuous evolution.’ The story behind his ‘Infinite We Are’ collection explores that. ‘Everyone is here to experience life as deeply as possible, and yet our individual purpose is to explore our unique character.’ Bendikas also thinks that the human eye creates a look according to one’s emotions and, thus, an intimate feeling emerges that defies description . As a result, his latest collection makes us understand that a wickedly talented designer ought to puzzle us with the mystery of menswear design, for all things should be left with a lingering idea rather than something concrete.

With his handmade touches, Dainius Bendikas continues to push the boundaries of menswear design to a brand new level. The Yatzer team sets its eyes on the carefully created illustrations and sketches from Bendikas Look Book for A/W 12-13. A series of scalloped, voluminous and bold designs, and at their very core a plethora of religious symbolism are just a few elements permeating the latest collection.

Suede leathers, wool, linen, cotton knit in neutral gradation colors: ‘Each look of the collection is connected via a color-range based on the changing surface of the moon during the lunar eclipse of June 26, 2010.’ The accessories are considered to be the ‘projects-observers subconscious universe to our dimension’. Footwear pieces, which are entitled ‘Moon Walks’ in collaboration with ‘Ortho Baltic’, an orthopedic footwear company, ensure comfort and style. Overall, ‘each item is an intricately crafted part of a larger story based on self-developed philosophy of one-self. A sense of self-developed aesthetic’.

With this intriguing collection and Bendikas’s creative direction, you should make a mental note of his name, as he inevitably articulates the vision of the fashion future. There is no doubt that his designs speak to us in a way we can’t explain and seduce us more than we care to admit.

/- When the World had been abandoned for the sake of the Moon, there appeared a celestial tribe of hoodlum Priests. These rustic Clergy, devout to a Lunatic spectrum of elusive colour and tone, wrapped and bound in the skin of creatures, of Linens and Wool naturally dyed and sculptured with existential understanding.
We are the watchers of Men,
We creep beneath a gaze of indifference,
We are nothing, if not “Monks de la Moon”
our foots in the door.
alas, Sanctuary is ours? -/
Dainius Bendikas