Inflatable latex trousers by Harikrishnan have gone on sale just six months after the designer caused a viral sensation by showing the prototypes at his London College of Fashion graduate show.
The pants are made from up to 30 individual panels of natural rubber, which allows them to be inflated to oversized, balloon-like proportions using a small valve at the bottom.
Photograph courtesy of Francisco Rosas
After being featured on Dezeen in February, the trousers were widely shared on the internet and picked up by fashion publications like Vogue and morning TV news show BBC Breakfast.
Now, after just half a year, they are available to purchase on a made-to-order basis via APOC Store ? a newly established online retailer that aims to offer young, unorthodox designers a platform to sell their pieces without having to go through buyers and wholesalers.
"Ever since my collection went public, I have been receiving enquiries on social media to sell my pieces and create custom ones," Harikrishnan told Dezeen. "This demand really pushed me to fast-track my production and put the collection out there for the public."
Under the shortened brand name Harri, the designer is selling a mint green and white candy cane-striped design that was originally featured in his graduate collection alongside a previously unseen high-shine black version.
"The black pair will be a part of the studio's core collection," he said. "They are easier to wear and walk in, a...