Grim Reapers drip from shearling coats, ghostly landscapes manifest through expressive brushstrokes and scattered text elements are embroidered like stick ‘n’ poke tattoos. Amiri‘s FW22 collection was a unique celebration of the brand’s hometown of LA, guided by a creative dialogue between CEO and artistic director Mike Amiri and contemporary US artist Wes Lang, whose studio neighbours Mike’s own. Blurring walls between fashion atelier and artist studio, Lang’s distinctive world of dark Americana was brought to life across Amiri’s contemporary shapes, West Coast sensibility and artisan savoir-faire.

A collection that reverberated across the fashion and art worlds, now comes a further insight into the artistic process. In anticipation of the full FW22 drop this month, Amiri has released an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary: animated by Lang’s artwork, the film follows Mike and Wes as they exchange ideas and techniques between studios before taking us backstage at the Fall-Winter 2022 show in LA – the first time Amiri has shown in their native city, usually presenting collections in Paris.

Alongside the documentary, a more tangible reflection is offered via a unique book published by Rizzoli. Titled AMIRI Wes Lang, curated text and photographs document the collection’s evolution, from the design of key silhouettes to the hand-painting of original works onto individual garments and finally to the runway show, cinematically illuminated with Lang’s artwork.

The AMIRI Wes Lang book will be available in October from select retailers.

Revisit our Amiri FW22 show report.