Christian Cowan finds stylish, angular inspiration from Doritos

While Jack Harlow might have played the triangle in the Doritos Super Bowl commercial, the iconic snack brand influences beyond the music world. Walking the runway at New York Fashion Week, Christian Cowan was inspired by the three-sided shape. In his specialty Doritos capsule collection, the designs implore people to see fashion through a new angular lens.

Although the fashion world is well versed in the Christian Cowan’s talent, the celebrated British fashion designer has impressed both on and off the runway. From music icons who have worn his intricate pieces to luxurious looks that fill the closets of high society, Cowan has always found a balance between fun and elegant. Even if some of the looks might be unavailable to the general consumer, that fantastical allure inspires others to add something memorable to their own looks.

Recently, Christian Cowan partnered with Doritos on its current campaign that approaches looking at the world through a different angle. Ahead of his New York Fashion Week show, Cowan spoke to FoodSided about the collaboration, his love of Doritos, and some approachable fashion advice.

Specifically, Cowan said, “first and foremost, I’ve been a fan of Doritos since I literally can’t remember.” When offered this opportunity to partner with the brand on its campaign it was a fun way to apply the “triangle mania” to the fashion space.

Cowan shared that while there have been moments of flow and geometric elements in his designs, “I really wanted to just explore the triangle further because I had actually never really used triangles in my collections before.”

He continued to explain, “I am pretty heavily influenced by the 60s and the 80s in my work. The 60s can be influenced by triangles in the belt buckles or the patches. The 80s has more graphic designs. Those elements can be blended into my aesthetic.”

As seen in the collection, the designs are both fun and inspirational. Whether it is the handbag with a hanging triangle or the triangle with leather, Cowan believes that the various looks “marries the concept of the campaign.”

While this campaign draws inspiration from the iconic Doritos snack, Cowan has long been inspired by music. He shared, “while it might sound a little cliché, music is categorically my biggest inspiration.” One of the reasons why this Doritos campaign intrigued him is because the snack brand has worked with so many great musicians over the years. Cowan believes that “musicians and artists speak the same language.”

Although the Doritos campaign is about looking at the world through a different angle, Cowan shared that some elements of his designs are a direct tie to the iconic snack brand. He said, “the color palette of all the collaboration pieces have been taken directly from the different flavors of the Doritos. From the sweet, tangy barbecue black to the nacho cheese oranges, they are all the main color points for this collaboration.”

Since the classic Nacho Cheese Doritos is his personal favorite, Cowan pointed out that there is only one iconic Doritos red piece in the collection. That intentional decision allowed that signature color to stand out amongst the rest of the pieces.

Although everyone has their own approach to fashion, that one signature piece led to ask a question regarding Cowan’s opinion about having a signature look. While he referenced that iconic Coco Chanel saying about looking in the mirror and removing an item before walking out, he approaches the concept slightly differently.

He referred to a “simplicity and more linear approach. So, if you have a million different elements going on in one look it confuses the message.” While he did not necessarily say that concept is a tip, he believes that he could subconsciously apply the idea to his work.

And, since his collaboration with Doritos had him looking at the world through a different angle, the tone of this New York Fashion Week show had a different vibe. Gone were the bombastic club beats and the sultry tones that evoked an old school, Hollywood sultry sound were more apparent with Judy Garland vocals.

For anyone who would like to own their own piece of the Christian Cowan and Doritos collaboration, the items are available on the fashion designer’s website. From a hoodie with a triangular element to more elaborate pieces, the diverse looks will have a wide appeal.