One look at the Fall 2018 capsule collection by DUST and I knew I was looking at genuine artworks by an emotionally invested designer. The expressive menswear collection features graphics, mixed media images, drawings and empathetic messages on t-shirts and hoodies.

Strangely, the look book doesn’t include the designer’s name nor are there credits for the photography or styling.

The website for the brand has one line on it’s web page, “We have no fathers”. That’s it.

It took a little digging but I was able to discover DUST is a magazine whose contributors routinely collaborate with artists to develop capsule collections. Their previous collaboration involved Raf Simmons (formerly the creative director of Dior and the current director for Calvin Klein) and graphic artist Peter De Potter. Similar to the new DUST collection for Fall 2018, the previous collection included t-shirts, hoodies and customized jeans. Raf Simmons was credited as designer and Peter De Potter produced the art works, managed the creative direction and photography for the project.

If you’ve never heard of Peter De Potter before, he is the amazing graphic designer behind Kanye West’s Life of Pablo album cover.

If you are thinking there is a familiarity between the cover work for Kanye West and the DUST capsule collection I’d have to agree with you. In fact, I’ve deduced De Potter is indeed the face behind the new DUST collection.

In 2016 De Potter self-published a 272-page monograph titled ‘The Vanity of Certain Flowers’ containing photography, photomontages, and graphics. Described as “a mental landscape broken down into hundreds of images,” it both explored visually familiar territory for De Potter (the male body, sportswear, crucifixes) and gestured to something new, focusing on the concept of “a spiritual retreat” to invest in yourself and discover truths about yourself.

The new DUST collection similarly mixes images, words and graphics, focused on interpersonal communication and empathy statements. It leads me to believe De Potter is indeed the designer behind the emotionally intelligent collection.

But I could be wrong.

DUST Fall 2018 capsule collection by anonymous.