NAOMI HART LONDON TALKS GEODE-INFUSED SPACE-AGE FUTURISM RIGHT AFTER HER LONDON FASHION WEEK DEBUT. A LONDON FASHION WEEK DEBUT: A SOIRÉE WITH NAOMI HART NAOMI HART LONDON TALKS TO GABRIEL MEALOR-PRITCHARD ABOUT GEODE-INFUSED SPACE-AGE FUTURISM RIGHT AFTER HER LONDON FASHION WEEK DEBUT. 1/8 IMAGES COURTESY OF @ROSSLYNPHOTOGRAPHY Located in a snug studio room on Dean Street, Soho, Naomi Hart showcased their AW25 collection for the brand’s London Fashion Week debut. The plethora of attendees sat around with intense eagerness written all over their faces as the music began. A sombre, melancholic, vintage jazz track brought the viewers to the edge of their seats. The show began. At the end of the show, we caught up with Naomi Hart to discuss what exactly just enthralled our attention for the last 15 minutes. “I’m shaking a little bit,” she joked as we asked her about how she felt directly after her London Fashion Week debut show. Inspired by “a lot of space-age retro-futurism,” the collection is filled with geometric shapes and a true galactic sense that resonated through futuristic sunglasses and chrome, silver-heeled boots. “The inspiration was looking at the panels in my previous collections and then finding [those formations] in geode shapes.” Hart goes on to describe that she doesn’t feel that one individual inspiration works, she has to blend two and explore further down a niche route. “I always think that it's no fun to have one inspiration, I like to contrast it with something,” the designer said. “The whole idea of the collection is to create a new world,” Hart replied when I questioned her on the story behind the music choices she made. The sinister start to the soundtrack that helped tell the designer’s story slowly, over time, transformed into a cheerful end with the runway coming to a close to the sound of “Ray of Light” by Madonna. “The music at the start was supposed to be a little bit eerie, old fashioned, but also the idea of fantasy, as if daydreaming,” tells Hart. Wanting to contrast the garments presented with the music chosen, “the main idea behind the clothes is the girls feeling strong and feeling powerful,” she added. What caught our attention the most was Look 8, a red leather two-piece that demanded power and attention in its own right. “I cannot get away from it, anything that I make, whenever I then do it in a red leather, it’s always the best,” implores Hart as she agrees that it too, was her favourite look of the collection. Especially being the last look she had created for this season. “It was always missing something […] I kept saying to my Mum, there’s not that iconic piece.” “But then I saw it and I thought, I think we’re ready now,” added Hart, chuckling. Though it was short and sweet, Naomi Hart’s debut collection was a success, seconded by the roar of applause and bustle in the air after the show had taken place. However, it begs us to question, now that Hart’s foot is well and truly planted in the London Fashion Week scene, what is next from this emerging creative? We asked just that. “In this collection, there are so many other designs that I didn’t have time to make,” she said before excitingly adding, “So I’m thinking of doing a part two.” Well, if that’s the case, sign us up! We are equally excited as everybody else to see what the brand comes up with. Bravo on your LFW debut, Naomi Hart London.

THE YOUNG DESIGNER CHOOSES TO ARCHIVE HER LATEST COLLECTION OF 3D-CRAFTED DESIGNS AFTER THEY ARE WORN ONLY ONCE, SEALING THEM AWAY, NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN. MARY WENTHUR TELLS ALL. KARINA BOND AUTUMN/WINTER 2026: CONCEALED CREATIONS THE YOUNG DESIGNER CHOOSES TO ARCHIVE HER LATEST COLLECTION OF 3D-CRAFTED DESIGNS AFTER THEY ARE WORN ONLY ONCE, SEALING THEM AWAY, NEVER TO BE SEEN AGAIN. MARY WENTHUR TELLS ALL. Written by Mary Wenthur Images Courtesy of Karina Bond London In an industry built on exposure and turnovers, Karina Bond is choosing to conceal her latest collection. ‘Vivarium,’ Bond’s AW26 line, comprises eight looks, and each is to be worn by only one person in the world. The garments will never be sold or replicated and will be carefully archived after their moment in the spotlight. This past week, the designer unveiled these creations at Chateau Denmark’s Thirteen, a cocktail bar and event space. Guests were confined to a gothic bedroom, home to the eight avant-garde designs that seemed to come alive in the dim light. Recreating her own vivarium, Bond said, “You're one with the creatures for a split moment, and then they kind of disappear. You might get to see a maximum of eight people ever wear these out.” Bond already has a list of people chosen to wear each look, though the identities remain a secret within the whimsical world her designs create. In her narrative, the clothing chooses a “host,” and “to wear one was to enter a contract,” she described. “You would be the first and the last.” She uses a 3D printing pen, taking over 100 hours to hand-draw each design.“I feel like a lot of the time I'm literally putting bits of my soul into my work,” Bond said. It is a zero-waste substance made from a rubber-polymer mixture that allows the models to bend and twist into new poses, with a second-skin-like texture that breathes as muscles flex. Sculpted directly onto the body, the eight designs feature woven dresses interconnected with ribbon, tulle and hand-painted feathers. Elements of nature appear distorted through Bond’s extraterrestrial lens: a high-neck collar is intricately drawn in a dimensional pattern, like coral growing from a reef. Corsets in liquorice-braided plastic intertwine in warped formations, bending the boundaries of reality. As Bond puts it, the effect is “something that we see in AI fashion, but this is real.” As an avid film and video game lover, I draw inspiration from stories like The Last of Us, a post-apocalyptic video game set in a world overrun by parasitic fungi. Where mushroom-like layers grow from bodies much like Bond’s 3D printing tactics. Each model resembles their own character. She places small 3D-printed red horns between webs of clear, pen-drawn lines that scale down the bodices of one dress, completely moulded to movement. “I make kind of artwork for the body, and not just clothes to put on a person,” said Bond. The delicate art made Bond question the merchant side of the industry, expressing her feelings towards the system of rapid output, “A lot of the time pieces get loaned out to stylists and transported everywhere, and they end up becoming disposable,” she said. This new collection also celebrates the launch of Bond’s bioplastic 3D-printed mini bags. As part of Bond’s storyline, these mini bags resemble small horned creatures and are offered in an array of colours, including baby pink, pearl, cobalt blue, black, and blood red. The three different spiky designs: stone, petal and stella, bring an element of her vivarium to the outside world. These priceless designs will later be kept safe by Bond herself, concealed from the outside world as time goes by. This is a completely new concept for her brand, but Bond is currently creating her ready-to-wear for next season. Always focused on creating “something you don’t see in everyday life,” she adds, “that’s what I like to prove.”

UMA KARUPPIAH EXAMINES FASHION’S ENDURING FIXATION ON LITERATURE. FROM TOTE BAGS TO LUXURY RUNWAYS, BOOKS HAVE UNEQUIVOCALLY BECOME SIGNALS OF TASTE, PRETENSION. AN EXPLORATION OF LITERATURE IN FASHION APPEARING WELL-READ THROUGH MARKERS OF FASHION UMA KARUPPIAH EXAMINES FASHION’S ENDURING FIXATION ON LITERATURE. FROM TOTE BAGS TO LUXURY RUNWAYS, BOOKS HAVE UNEQUIVOCALLY BECOME SIGNALS OF TASTE, PRETENSION. Written by Uma Karuppiah Edited by Gabriel Mealor-Pritchard Image courtesy of Chopova Lowena The enmeshing of fashion and literature is a predictable and longstanding move within the industry. It bears long, untraceable roots, but finds lucid echoes in the etching of sincere words from novels into romantic relics. Whether through the inscription of quotes or the literal transposing of a book onto the surface of a garment, literary fashion carries an outsized potency. The precise channels from which this potency is drawn are difficult to isolate, but it hovers somewhere between a reverence for the archive and a renewed strain of logo-mania, teetering between pretension and organic interest. The literary tote bag remains the most persuasive case study of fashion in the name of appearing ‘well-read’. Its application in ‘swag bags’ at ‘fashionable’ parties throughout the ’90s still bears cultural weight; visually curious totes insinuate promising contents, whether high-brow literature or trinketry of equal intrigue curated by their owner. The Daunt Books tote bag, released in 2006, has since spread like wildfire. This may be attributed to its sturdier, more sumptuous appearance, a marked contrast to the flimsier structure of the average tote. It has been photographed on the shoulders of celebrities of a particular strain—Helena Bonham Carter, Keira Knightley, Benedict Cumberbatch, Emily Ratajkowski—figures who occupy fascinating positions within the interloping terrain of fashion and literature. Images courtesy of MEGA, Alamy Stock Photos & GC Photos Ratajkowski and Bonham Carter in particular serve as foils. Ratajkowski, hoisting the bag post–My Body, folds it neatly into her ongoing project of literary rebranding. Bonham Carter, meanwhile, appears as something closer to the Daunt tote’s blueprint-wearer: a nepo-baby of the Bonham auctioneer family, her bag sandwiched between layered beneath layers of effortless, coquettish textures. Markers like the tote are invaluable to stylists; they signal not only aesthetic sensibility, but also where the wearer spends their time. The Daunt bag is relatively innocuous compared to other literary totes. Penguin Classics totes, for instance, are frequently spotted in the wild, depicting a vast selection of covers-now replicated with near accuracy by fast-fashion outlets. Sam Wolfson’s scathing take on the Penguin tote holds some water. He describes their owners as those who ‘schlep around both their shopping and literary pretension in one of these classic cover totes’, lamenting that ‘surely the thing about being well-read is that its joys come serendipitously’. While the direct pasting of a cover with no new twist arguably undermines this sense of serendipity, the critique begins to fray when luxury fashion enters the picture. Dior’s first collection under Jonathan Anderson leans into this same appeal. Previewed in 2025 and released this January, the bags are marketed as featuring ‘first-edition covers from the 19th and 20th centuries’ embroidered onto their surfaces—an almost identical selling point to Penguin’s. Once again, the literary siphons its strength from the insinuation of archival access. At surface level, this may seem tenuous, but it aligns with a broader “Emerald Fennell-ing” of literature: the processing of canonical texts into sultry symbols of dark academia. Her forthcoming Wuthering Heights adaptation exemplifies this re-commercialisation of classics and the harnessing of their cultural capital. When Heaven by Marc Jacobs launched its first drop, ‘a whole generation of fashion fans ascended to a higher plane’. This ascendancy relied on a familiar parlour trick: drawing on the spirit of subcultures and re-contextualising them into something newly desirable. The brand’s engagement with Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides operated less as an adaptation than as a signal—a visual shorthand for shared cultural literacy. The imagery, softened by Coppola’s warm-toned aesthetic, was received sensationally, fostering a sense of insider recognition among those already submerged in the novel and film. Heaven excels at locating these cultural pulsepoints and extracting exclusivity from them. Image courtesy of Marc Jacobs This sensibility is physicalised in Heaven’s retail spaces. In Soho, a slender shelf by the shop window hosts a curated selection of books and ephemera supplied by Climax Books, a self-described distributor of hard-to-find periodicals, erotica, VHS tapes, and countercultural texts. Climax’s carefully honed identity has proven magnetic to fashion brands—Chopova Lowena’s lingerie set emblazoned with ‘Climax’ script is a recent example—reviving logo-mania through literary and archival symbols (see image at top of page). Script lifted directly from books offers an even more exclusive funnel. The rhetoric of ‘if you know, you know’ reaches new extremes when lines from specific texts are abstracted onto cloth. I remember receiving a postcard quoting Wuthering Heights in my youth— ‘whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same’—and feeling its quiet power. I’m less certain I’d want it on a tote bag. This is the crux of it: the serendipity you forfeit when intimacy becomes inscription. Valentino’s engagement with Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life is a more compelling intervention. A line of aching poignancy—‘WE ARE SO OLD, WE HAVE BECOME YOUNG AGAIN’—is fragmented across a blazer, split at the lapels. One side reads ‘WE ARE WE HAVE YOUNG’, the other ‘SO OLD, BECOME AGAIN’. This disintegration feels genuinely inventive, less like reanimation and more like interrogation, akin to how the Dior– Anderson totes operate at their best. Image courtesy of Valentino I end with the Fitzcarraldo tote bags, which function almost as a response to all of the above. Blazoned with the title of Dan Fox’s essay Pretentiousness: Why It Matters, and the first paragraph printed on the reverse, the bag openly stakes its claim. It protects the cultural currency of wearing one’s literary interests by owning the charge of pretension outright. In doing so, it proposes pretentiousness not as a sinister force, but as a catalyst for cultural and intellectual innovation. As a self-professed tote-bag owner, wit clothing littered with markers of what I read, where I buy books, what I watch, maybe even what I eat, I truly have no leg to stand on in discerning what these markers of being well-read could do to the detriment of popular culture, but it is a question I feel one must ask before each purchase, particularly with such lucrative projects as T-shirts, totes and other detritus with printable surfaces. Image courtesy of Dior & Jonathan Anderson

STEM, AN EMERGING FASHION LABEL BASED IN DENMARK’S CAPITAL, UNVEILED ITS FIFTH COLLECTION THROUGH AN INTIMATE PRESENTATION CENTRED AROUND A COMMUNAL FELTING TABLE. ATTENDEES WERE INVITED TO WORK WOOL BY HAND AS THE COLLECTION MOVED THROUGH THE SPACE, AND WE’RE SPREADING THE WORD. Imagery courtesy of Stem STEM AW26: THE ELASTIC LOGIC OF WOOL STEM, AN EMERGING FASHION LABEL BASED IN DENMARK’S CAPITAL, UNVEILED ITS FIFTH COLLECTION THROUGH AN INTIMATE PRESENTATION CENTRED AROUND A COMMUNAL FELTING TABLE. ATTENDEES WERE INVITED TO WORK WOOL BY HAND AS THE COLLECTION MOVED THROUGH THE SPACE, AND WE’RE SPREADING THE WORD. Written by Asthetik Editorial Team Wool lies across the table at Stem’s AW26 presentation in Copenhagen, still raw to the touch. Guests gather close, working the fibre by hand as the brand reveals its fifth collection. Titled To Wool, the offering centres on material and process, allowing wool to guide form through weaving, pleating, and pressure. Set around a long communal table, the presentation unfolds at a deliberate pace. As garments move through the space, the act of making remains visible, grounding the collection in touch and time. Woven rather than knitted, the pieces carry a quiet elasticity shaped by structure alone; a gentle reminder of what can happen when attention replaces excess. Stem’s material experiments began at a small scale, developed through handwoven studies that prioritised patience over speed. This season, parts of that research move into partial industrial production, translating a slow, considered process into a limited run of garments. Elasticity is built directly into the textile through yarn twist and weave tension, giving shape and movement to lines and pleats that feel purposeful rather than imposed. Local wool plays a defining role in the collection. Danish yarn, spun domestically and long overlooked in clothing, becomes a central material after proving unexpectedly strong once twisted and woven. Introduced through the work of a shepherd tending a large flock in Denmark, the fibre finds form in a checked vest and pleated skirt where two brown tones meet. Each shade comes from a different sheep, and together they reveal how structure and elasticity emerge through material choice. The pattern follows the logic of the loom, recording decisions made under tension rather than serving as surface decoration. Colour follows a similar logic. A restrained palette of off-white, deep blue, and brown comes from the availability of deadstock yarns sourced in Italy. Rather than seeking variation through colour, Stem focuses on shifts in weave and density, allowing pattern to move and change across the garment. Checks tighten and release as the structure shifts, while pleating and needle felting shape the surface through repetition and pressure. The result feels measured and precise, grounded in process rather than effect. Accessories extend this logic. Scarves with disrupted checks, belts woven for multiple modes of wear, and pieces that move and flex alongside the body. Nothing feels decorative, but more so, everything is functional and expressive. Garments from past collections enter the brand's dialogue with a new, reinforcing continuity that upholds the artisanal processes over seasonal novelty that many labels of today fall victim to as they grow within the industry. Beyond individual garments, Stem envisions a larger system. Stem Mill, in early-stage development in Denmark, combines production with research and pedagogy. Micro-spinning and agile manufacturing come together to create a laboratory where textiles are observed and played with while being understood from fibre to final product. The mill proposes a future of fashion built from material intelligence rather than abstraction. To Wool resists the spectacle of it all. Its logic is intimate and deliberate. The result is a collection that feels alive, and a quiet demonstration of what attention and patience can yield. Stem’s work considers how clothing can hold time and labour as clearly as it holds form. The hands-on presentation and the use of local wool come together as a quiet investigation into how material behaves when it is given space to lead. In this collection, wool takes an active role in shaping the outcome. To Wool traces the relationship between fibre and body, leaving the process visible in the finished garments. Each piece carries a sense of how it was made, pointing toward a slower, more grounded approach to fashion.

FENNELL FOCUSES ON THE 80S-INSPIRED WEDDING DRESSES, RED LATEX FABRICS, AND THE GLOSSY LOOK THAT DEFIES THE NOVEL'S GRIT. BUT THE DEFIANCE DOES NOT END THERE; THE CASTING CHOICES AND RED-CARPET LOOKS HAVE ONLY ADDED FUEL TO THE FIRE.  SAKSHI PATIL TELLS HER TAKE. EMERALD FENNELL’S REIMAGINING OF “WUTHERING HEIGHTS” FENNELL FOCUSES ON THE 80S-INSPIRED WEDDING DRESSES, RED LATEX FABRICS, AND THE GLOSSY LOOK THAT DEFIES THE NOVEL'S GRIT. BUT THE DEFIANCE DOES NOT END THERE; THE CASTING CHOICES AND RED-CARPET LOOKS HAVE ONLY ADDED FUEL TO THE FIRE. SAKSHI PATIL TELLS HER TAKE. Written by Sakshi Patil Edited by Gabriel Mealor-Pritchard Fennell’s Wuthering Heights is stirring the same kind of controversy that once shadowed Brontë’s novel, unsettling Victorian readers by refusing moral neatness. Audiences are divided over bold casting and fever-dream costumes. So, how much does historical accuracy matter in period dress? Inaccuracy from ignorant research comes across as careless to the audience. But when distortion is deliberate, costume becomes the narrative and a prominent theme of the film. It shifts from replication to interpretation. Jacqueline Durran aimed for that effect. Her costuming for this film is commendable for its wide range of references, spanning from Elizabethan through to Georgian and Victorian eras. Purposely not sticking to one period, to ensure that the anarchism theme fully thrives throughout the film. Among the 50 extravagant costumes made for this movie, there were a few notable ones. Adult Cathy is introduced to us in a German milkmaid dress, blending period silhouettes with traces of Old Hollywood drama, creating a layered visual language that makes a clear stance that this is not a typical replication of the novel. The silhouette of the milkmaid dress is traditionally associated with pastoral and folkloric themes. Yet it is ironic, as Cathy in the book is not all that. Perhaps, Durran’s costume choices were a deliberate act of rebellion rather than an attempt to reconstruct a historically accurate setting. The wedding dress is perhaps the clearest example of this time-bending approach. It fuses Victorian structure with 1950s couture: cinched waists, softened volume, a silhouette that feels both archival and mid-century cinematic. Although not historically precise, white wedding gowns weren’t widespread until after the period Brontë wrote about. Brides usually wore their best dress, often in colour. The dress is a combination of eras into a single, striking costume. The result is a dreamscape aesthetic collision that feels intentional rather than careless. The Telegraph said, "Cathy and Heathcliff's passions vibrate through their dress, their surroundings, and everything else within reach.” So by refusing to sit neatly within one timeline, the costume mirrors the anarchic tone Fennell seeks to evoke. Not all critics were so flattering. Keven Maher from The Times described Robbie as a "Brontë Barbie" and said that Fennell has "doomed Elordi with a fatally shallow characterisation, recasting Heathcliff as pouty man-candy with a shaky Yorkshire accent." Historical accuracy can be a form of respect. For stories rooted in specific cultural or political realities, precision matters. Details can preserve histories that might otherwise be flattened or forgotten. Fennell’s whitewashed casting of Heathcliff, whom Brontë repeatedly describes in racialised terms as dark-skinned and socially othered, alters more than surface appearance. It risks diluting the novel’s engagement with racial ambiguity and class exclusion. Heathcliff’s outsider status is foundational to the sadomasochistic dynamics of power abuse and social hierarchy that drive the story. To neutralise that dimension, casting Elordi reshapes the very structures of race, class and gender oppression that animate it. And it doesn't end there. The controversy continued at the feature's Los Angeles premiere, Margot Robbie wore a historic necklace commissioned by India’s Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife, famously known as the “Taj Mahal” necklace. Yet when asked about the piece, the conversation centred on its association with Elizabeth Taylor, skimming past its layered imperial and colonial history. A jewel with centuries of political and cultural meaning was reframed through Hollywood provenance. Though the fantastical and dream-like costumes have sparked debate, the real critique lies with the casting and neglect of important social themes in the novel, which still resonate today.

SOME DESIGNERS CREATE GARMENTS; OTHERS CONSTRUCT ENTIRE UNIVERSES AROUND THEM. JEAN LOUIE CASTILLO BELONGS FIRMLY TO THE LATTER, BY CONJURING GOTHIC MYTHOLOGIES THROUGH CLOTHES THAT FEEL LIKE RELICS FROM ANOTHER WORLD ENTIRELY. TORI PALONE DESCRIBES THE NIGHT. Images courtesy of Lauren Cremer AW26: JEAN LOUIE CASTILLO’S WORLD OF HIS OWN SOME DESIGNERS CREATE GARMENTS; OTHERS CONSTRUCT ENTIRE UNIVERSES AROUND THEM. JEAN LOUIE CASTILLO BELONGS FIRMLY TO THE LATTER, BY CONJURING GOTHIC MYTHOLOGIES THROUGH CLOTHES THAT FEEL LIKE RELICS FROM ANOTHER WORLD ENTIRELY. TORI PALONE DESCRIBES THE NIGHT. Written by Tori Palone The brands’ autumn-winter 2026 collection, SILVERCITY, was unveiled last night at the Mandrake Hotel; a venue which, with its sorcerer eye decorum and graffitied bathroom walls, seemed to bleed seamlessly into Castillo’s shadowy realm. Candles threw flame onto an otherwise dark room and a curtain of fog backgrounded the models’ ascent onto center stage, creating an otherworldly feel which mirrored the collection’s haunted elegance. In some ways, the collection felt more like a theatrical production than a typical runway affair. The models were not simply models—they walked, heaved, sleuthed, and strode down the catwalk, clearly cogs in a bigger, Jean Louie Castillo imagined system. At the start of the show, resident instagram monster MONSTERS kINC stalked the floor on digitigrade legs, her movements animatronic and wild. A black crinkle-cut shroud obscured her face, while laced-up vinyl boots—slouched at the toes like claws—punctuated her passage through the crowd. Immediately, the model ushered in a sense of benign curiosity from onlookers who were desperate for clues of her mysterious origin. In other words, what the hell was going on? Castillo is transfixed with spinning the ordinary into the sublime. He has an uncanny ability to make denim look liquid, and a tendency towards bending everyday materials to convey a deliberate sense of anti-purpose. PVC, for example, was coerced into high-shouldered jackets and dresses, manipulated to resemble sheets of crumbled aluminium foil which rose from the body like a tide. Castillo’s own sculptural ingenuity was contrasted against sharp tailoring, strewn open jackets and elongated gowns that contoured the body ceremoniously. The show proceeded mostly as a play between black and silver, braving a world where darkness and glamour didn’t simply collide, but rather pressed forward in constant chatter. Silver accents appeared throughout the lineup, catching in the metallic flash of the models’ lipstick or in the shape of a ray gun, enlarged and held at the hip. Models’ bodies were treated as extensions of the clothes, their alternate personas amplified through makeup and body paint—iridescent silver or white with black veining patterns. Though self-contained, SILVERCITY mirrors earthly hierarchies, revealing societal cracks through discontent and disillusionment. According to Castillo, “The world is about seeing a divide between the upper city and lower city,” a delineation which is visually apparent across his collection. Castillo’s fabricated lore imagines a city ruled by the Echelites—an aesthetically superior faction who govern with a silver fist. They saunter down the runway with a regal gait, swaddled in fur throws, wielding pistols or cigarette holder-like gadgets in their hands. Cavers, on the other hand, move along in disarray, their fractured movements zombie-like. Barred in silver cascading chains (akin to a straitjacket), they prowl the runway with a dilapidated effort, their bodies dirtied and bruised looking. Still, there is a sense of camaraderie among the factions—repeating materials, silhouettes and silver paint made it slightly harder to differentiate which characters belonged to the High City and which simply aspired to. Castillo’s tale of two cities acts as a microscopic lens on earthly concerns. Cast under dystopian light, he magnifies the tensions and anxieties of our own reality. He explains, “I wanted to find a place for all my work. I didn’t feel that it really fit in anywhere.” In creating SILVERCITY, Castillo has at last found a domain for his imagination to unfold free from earthly constraints.

INSIDE LA FONDATION AZZEDINE ALAÏA, PARIS, ASTHETIK MAGAZINE GOT A FIRST LOOK AT THE LATEST EXHIBITION ON SHOW, HIGHLIGHTING TWO MASTERS OF HAUTE COUTURE. AT THE FONDATION AZZEDINE ALAÏA, FASHION WHISPERS INSIDE THE MASTERS OF HAUTE COUTURE EXHIBITION WITH AZZEDINE ALAÏA AND CHRISTIAN DIOR INSIDE LA FONDATION AZZEDINE ALAÏA, PARIS, ASTHETIK MAGAZINE GOT A FIRST LOOK AT THE LATEST EXHIBITION ON SHOW, HIGHLIGHTING TWO MASTERS OF HAUTE COUTURE. Written by Kristen Vonnoh Edited by: Gabriel Mealor-Pritchard A short walk from the Hotel de Ville metro stop, you’ll find a hidden gem. With an elegant courtyard and an understated entrance, there is the Fondation Alaïa. The exhibitions presented in this space are as elegant as the space itself. Inside the latest exhibition at the Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, conversations fade into whispers, with friends leaning in toward each other while admiring the work of the couturier. “C’est magnifique,” said a visitor, pointing to the details of the strapless Dior dress. “Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior: Two Masters of Haute Couture”, curated by Olivier Saillard, is not an exhibition that demands attention but earns it. Bringing together nearly seventy designs by the two couturiers, the show unfolds as a quiet dialogue across decades, between Dior’s revolutionary 1950s silhouettes and Alaïa’s later, deeply sculptural work, inspired by his time as an intern at Dior. White flowers frame the spaces where the garments are exhibited, softening the architecture and brightening the space. Yet, despite the richly layered scenography, nothing overwhelms the beauty of the garments themselves. A Christian Dior dinner jacket from the Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1948 collection immediately draws the eye: Pondichery, from the Ligne Envol collection. Crafted in natural linen canvas, the jacket features a plunging back, a Mandarin collar, and short sleeves with wide turn-ups. It is entirely embroidered with branches, birds, and butterflies in multicoloured metallic threads, embellished with green glass cabochons, silvered sequins, synthetic pearls, and mother-of-pearl shells. Its cut, the most singular of the Ligne Envol appears to give the piece a literal sense of lift, as if it might take flight, echoing Dior’s own words that the line “soars as one walks and dips toward the back.” Nearby, an Azzedine Alaïa strapless dress from his Spring–Summer 2006 ready-to-wear collection offers a different take. Made of white cotton voile, the gown is fully ruched and printed with a tone-on-tone raised Paisley motif, finished with a delicate lace trim along the top of the bodice. Playing with the artifice of haute couture, Alaïa continually pays homage to it even as he reinvents it, revisiting the proportions of the 1950s underdress, traditionally hidden beneath the gown to create volume. Here, the logic is reversed: the interior becomes exterior. Ruching is no longer merely structural but aesthetic, and the once-invisible underskirt becomes the façade. In this mirrored gesture, the dress becomes the undergarment, and the undergarment becomes the dress. The exhibition’s scenography is rich with information, enticing visitors to spend more time observing the techniques and inspirations behind each piece. It creates a space visitors don’t rush through. They linger, engaging with Alaïa’s life and work with surprising intimacy, as if reading a story they feel personally invested in. Dior’s dresses, with their gravity-defying structures, are positioned in juxtaposition with Alaïa’s sculpture-like dresses and overcoats. Dior’s garments fascinated him. They “stood up on their own,” Alaïa once said. Cutting and sewing became his lifelong obsession. That obsession quietly threads through the exhibition. The accentuated waists. The sculpted shoulders. The curved hips. The restrained yet powerful palette of blacks and greys and greens, and reds. Alaïa never copied Dior. He studied him, absorbed him, and translated that early awe into a language that was entirely his own, in a way only he could. Decades apart, the garments seem to recognise each other. What gives the exhibition its emotional weight is the knowledge that Alaïa was not only a couturier but also a guardian of fashion history. Over the course of his life, he collected more than 500 Christian Dior designs, preserving them with almost archival devotion. The pieces shown in this exhibition come from that personal collection. These were garments he lived with, learned from, and protected as part of the patrimoine de la mode. Upstairs, the exhibition becomes even more intimate. Being able to see Alaïa’s former studio space, visitors understand the passion he had for his work. The distance between creator and creation collapses. The scene was left exactly as it was in 2017 at the time of his passing; it almost feels like he’ll come back any second. A video installation closes the visit, grounding the garments in the philosophy of the man himself. “It’s a matter of complicity between a woman and a couturier,” says Alaa in an interview. “I make sure she keeps her personality.” One truth clearly emerges: Alaïa loved women. Not as an abstract muse, but as bodies in motion and as living sculptures. His clothes listen before they speak. This exhibition is powerful. It is about continuity and how admiration and precision become craft, how couture history is often written through devotion to skill. At a time when fashion feels increasingly loud and explanatory, “Azzedine Alaïa and Christian Dior” offers a look into fashion that is refreshing and increasingly rare.

ASTHETIK MAGAZINE TAKES A WALK WITH THE DESIGNERS OF SWANKY MODES, A FASHION COLLECTIVE MARKING FIFTY YEARS OF MAKING. LUCY BRUNNER TELLS US MORE. ‘LET’S HAVE FUN!’ SWANKY MODES ON A LOST GOLDEN AGE FOR YOUNG DESIGNERS ASTHETIK MAGAZINE TAKES A WALK WITH THE DESIGNERS OF SWANKY MODES, A FASHION COLLECTIVE MARKING FIFTY YEARS OF MAKING. LUCY BRUNNER TELLS US MORE. Written By Lucy Brunner In 1973, a group of fashion graduates decided to open a boutique for fun. Over half a century later, the four women behind Swanky Modes reunited at London’s Warehouse Market to spill all on this golden age for young creatives. Asthetik Magazine spoke with the designers as they led a Fashion History Walk to the old store. Yes, you read that right…fifty years ago, the path for fresh fashion grads was as simple as ‘let’s have fun’. London was a creative mecca for emerging designers, and passion alone was enough to fuel budding careers. "You didn’t worry about the future, you didn’t worry about money", said Melanie Haberfield, one of the four women behind revolutionary fashion collective Swanky Modes. The boutique was established in 1972 after Haberfield spotted the space for just £7 a week (approx. £100 today). "There was no rhyme or reason to it", said Haberfield , as colleague Esme Young chimed in: "We just couldn't find anything we wanted to wear in shops, so we made it". Their desire to innovate quickly made them fabric pioneers - Swanky Modes was one of the first labels to use Lycra in high fashion. "Lycra was only used for swimming costumes, but we just thought, what a great fabric to make nightwear for a disco", said Haberfield . Their notorious ‘amorphous’ Lycra dress is now on display at the V&A. No fabric was off-limits for the designers, who even made a coat collection out of shower curtains: ‘we just found the rolls, and we liked the rolls, and we bought them’. It was a chance discovery with huge success; the concept was beloved by photographer Helmut Newton, who got them a four-page feature in Nova magazine. Willie Walters, who later became the Fashion Programme Director at Central Saint Martins, reflected on the process: "We went to various magazines to show our stuff, and when we got to Nova, we saw Caroline Baker, who was a legendary fashion editor. She saw Esme’s drawings [of the coats], and she said, “Oh, Helmut Newton is dying to do pictures of plastic macs, particularly naked girls.” And then they did it! Four pages in Nova, which is unheard of now". This 1973 Nova feature was Swanky Modes’ big break, and the designers quickly became a favourite among industry heavyweights like Cher, Vogue, and Vivienne Westwood. "We had people coming into the shop to find out what we were doing, and Vivienne used to ask us what we were doing when she was in between collections," Haberfield recalled. Today, the Swanky Modes story seems almost like a fairytale. Young creatives are rarely fast-tracked to fame by major photographers or powerhouse publications, and it’s a short-lived success for the lucky few. "Emerging labels have faced rising operating costs and falling appetite for risk among would-be investors", said Joan Kennedy in Business of Fashion. Another barrier? "The change in London", said Haberfield . "I mean, we paid almost nothing for our first shop (a Camden store today would reach £1000+ per week). It was when we had no money at all. We just bought old fabric, and there wasn’t the pressure that there is today. We just wanted to have fun." And, whilst Swanky Modes inspired high-fliers like Vivienne Westwood, today’s designers are instead plagued by fast fashion copycats, unable to capitalise on their own creations . It therefore seems fitting that the quartet reunited at the London Warehouse Market, a three-day installation which brought together emerging artists, designers, and publishers to share and sell their work, with emphasis on sustainable design production. The event was co-curated by Dr Tanveer Ahmed, senior lecturer at Central Saint Martins, and Lottie McCrindell, curator at Textus Network, in collaboration with Warehouse Amsterdam. For more information on Swanky Modes or Warehouse Amsterdam, click here .

GABRIEL MEALOR-PRITCHARD FINDS OUT HOW LEO PROTHMANN'S AW25 COLLECTION EXPLORES WHERE HE'S BEEN AND WHERE HE'S HEADED AN ASTHETIK MAGAZINE CONVERSATION: THE DUALITY AND EVOLUTION OF LEO PROTHMANN GABRIEL MEALOR-PRITCHARD FINDS OUT HOW LEO PROTHMANN'S AW25 COLLECTION EXPLORES WHERE HE'S BEEN AND WHERE HE'S HEADED. Upon the Jurema terrace at the Mandrake Hotel, designer Leo Prothmann showcased his much anticipated AW25 collection at London Fashion Week. The innovative designer, who works closely with Rick Owens, presented 'FINCA' (translating to 'ESTATE'), paying homage to his family's Spanish heritage, all whilst painting a picture of the journey that has led him to where he finds himself now. Prothmann has continued his partnership with Rick Owens on the brand's AW25 "Concordians" collection, where he designed the striking leather chaps that dominated the runway and social media thereafter. As the pieces travel from waist to foot, they transition into a relaxed rendition of the kiss boot we all know. This circles back to Prothmann's first collaboration with the esteemed fashion house when he redesigned the staple Rick footwear to incorporate his take on the iconic heeled boot for the house's AW24 runway. The Spanish designer has always found himself on a journey. A voyage to explore new ventures and take up new talents, from horse-riding to fashion. Wherever the creative finds himself, he thrives. His designs combat the traditional gender stereotypes the world knows all too well and break down the boundaries between contemporary and agricultural style. Blurring the lines between his origins and his current position within the fashion industry. After growing up in the rural Spanish countryside surrounded by animals, he left it all behind as he ventured forth to Berlin to pursue his dreams in fashion. This is where the unmistakable Berlin-club-scene-edge, garnered from the designer's time spent in the capital, filtered into his designs. Though the creative moved to further a field with his dreams for fashion in mind, Prothmann makes it his aim to keep his heritage and childhood deeply rooted within his designs, aptly referring to his brand as 'Stable Glam.' His latest collection seconds this notion with heavy-metal wellington platform heels and equally heavy-duty coats. FINCA acts as a testament to his adoration for equestrianism and the countryside that raised him. The creative's most recent presentation reinforces the house's duality by presenting rich textures – rubber, metal, and leather – with earthy/muted tones that establish the collection's raw nature. When not behind the sewing machine, Leo can be found behind an easel, taking inspiration from his talent in painting and translating it into garments that represent his artistic identity. His work can be purchased through his website, found alongside his garments. To find out more, after the show, I spoke to Prothmann about his AW25 runway, discussed his inspirations for the collection and also how, on top of all of this, he has implemented a 100% proceed fundraiser in aid of The Brain Tumour Foundation. G: FINCA is deeply personal, evolving from your childhood and family tradition. What was the most emotional or challenging part of translating these memories into fashion? L: I think the hardest part was speaking about the impact of failure and the feeling of not living up to expectations. Back then, my life was completely focused on a showjumping career, which ultimately didn’t work out. It was a tough lesson, but it taught me discipline and helped me value things in a completely new way. It was a tough but necessary realisation. G: Duality plays a big role in your journey. How does this tension between self-discovery and transformation manifest in your design process? L: I have had several careers that will always be part of me. Looking at the Gemini brothers helped me relate to my own story of self-discovery and transformation, which has been similarly multifaceted and never straightforward. This comes through in my design process as I reference these different, seemingly disjointed industries that are, however, all embedded in my persona. This also comes through in how we style and present the collection. I don’t conform to traditional gender norms, and that naturally translates into my work—there’s a fluidity and multifaceted nature in how I express identity and transformation. G: Equestrianism was a budding interest of yours before you transitioned into hospitality and later fashion. Do you see parallels between these worlds, and how do they influence your work today? L: Absolutely. There’s a strong parallel—both industries have a certain camp quality. Equestrian attire is this perfect mix of chic and sporty, and hospitality has its own exaggerated aesthetics—the uniforms, the formalities. It’s warm yet sterile at the same time because of the strict hierarchy. Both worlds instilled in me a strong sense of discipline, which has shaped my work ethic and design approach. G: You talk about a shift in style after moving to Berlin at the age of 16. How did Berlin’s fashion and culture inspire you to embrace a more flowing, intimate aesthetic? L: I moved to Berlin in 2013 when I was 16, and that’s when I started going out. Back then, Berlin’s nightlife felt different—no ID checks, no bag checks—pretty much anyone could get in. It was a time of total freedom, and that sense of liberation really shaped me. That’s why there’s always a playful edge to my designs—I was playful back then, and I’ve always valued the freedom that safe, inclusive spaces like Berlin’s nightlife provided. G: This isn’t your first time experimenting with footwear after your continued collaborations with Rick Owens. FINCA reimagines rubber boots with substantial soles and industrial-style heels. What exactly drew you to explore such a bold reinterpretation of a functional item? L: I’ve always wanted massive wellies with a big heel and platform. I love how they look in the mud—practical but dramatic. G: The colours seen in FINCA have been translated from your paintings. How does your work as a painter influence your design choices, and do you approach fabric like you would a canvas? L: For me, painting is a therapeutic process—it’s like scrolling through Instagram for some people, a way to relax. But while painting is impulsive, sewing requires control; if you sew impulsively, you’re more likely to hurt yourself. I love navigating that contrast in creative energy. G: You set up a fundraiser for The Brain Tumour Research Foundation in aid of your brother's diagnosis in 2023. It is an initiative that stems from a place so close to home. How do you see fashion as a vehicle for storytelling and social impact? L: It’s important to spread awareness that serious health conditions can affect people at a very young age. I want to reinforce that taking care of yourself, being open about struggles, and seeking support should be seen as strengths, not weaknesses. It’s important for everyone, regardless of gender or background, to be open about their struggles and to seek support without fear of being stigmatised. G: If someone unfamiliar with your work were to experience FINCA for the first time, what is the one feeling or message you’d want them to take away? L: I’d want them to feel like they’re at my family home in Spain—a sense of acceptance, freedom, and fun! G: The idea of personal evolution is central to FINCA. Looking ahead, how do you see your work evolving even further? L: I just want to keep creating more refined pieces: things my clients can wear and love for years. I want to be the kind of designer who you just know you can get a sick jacket or a cool pair of boots from, and they’ll last forever.

LAST NIGHT MARKED YET ANOTHER YEAR AROUND THE SUN WITH THE RETURN OF THE MET GALA. THOUGH THIS YEAR LEFT A SOUR TASTE IN SOME PEOPLE'S MOUTHS AS A RESULT OF ITS ORGANISATION AND THE FASHION BROUGHT TO THE PRESTIGIOUS EVENT. ZA SENOI GIVES HER TAKE ON THE EVENING. HOW FASHION EMBODIES ART AT THE 2026 MET GALA LAST NIGHT MARKED YET ANOTHER YEAR AROUND THE SUN WITH THE RETURN OF THE MET GALA. THOUGH THIS YEAR LEFT A SOUR TASTE IN SOME PEOPLE'S MOUTHS AS A RESULT OF ITS ORGANISATION AND THE FASHION BROUGHT TO THE PRESTIGIOUS EVENT. ZA SENOI GIVES HER TAKE ON THE EVENING. Written by Za Senoi “Nobody cares about the Met Gala that much anymore,” read a 1Granary Instagram post at 4pm on the first Monday of May. I beg to differ. Despite all of its connotations and yearly controversies, the Met Gala's status as a cultural touchpoint and infinitely fascinating conversation starter cannot be overstated. This year's theme, “Fashion is Art,” garnered significant online attention when it was announced for being too generic, too obvious. After all, who would argue that fashion isn't art? Sure enough, though, when the day came, plenty did. The everyman-turned-fashion-critic had plenty to say on how the theme was explored, with the nearly unanimous final verdict being that this year was underwhelming, or that celebrities had not “understood the assignment.” The clues to this year's theme were hidden in the Met's exhibition, Costume Art. Its description reads “The Costume Institute’s spring 2026 exhibition explores depictions of the dressed body across The Met’s vast collection, pairing garments with artworks to reveal the inherent relationship between clothing and the body.” Kylie Jenner wears Schiaparelli by Daniel Roseberry Gigi Hadid wears Miu Miu Kendall Jenner wears custom GAP by Zac Posen It follows, therefore, that what most viewers expected—direct references to classical art-forms by the old masters—was not the most popular motif on the grass-laden steps. Indeed, bodies were the central coherence throughout most looks. The 'Naked Dress’ was the trend du jour : whether through sheer, frame-hugging silhouettes or reconstructed casts of their own frames, the barely-there illusion was favoured by the supermodels. The approach seemed to bring with it a reliance on the arguably plain Pantone Colour of the Year, Cloud Dancer, to varying degrees of success. The body continued its command of the night through more artful interpretations, reaching across into painterly territories. Notably, Haider Ackerman for Tom Ford mastered the interplay between the two, highlighting the level of technique that qualifies fashion as art, while paying homage to the women wearing their vastly different pieces. On the court of public opinion, rising star Chase Infiniti was one of the best-dressed, wearing a multi-coloured and heavily beaded gown. Madonna wears Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello Jordan Roth wears Robert Wun Another name that dominated cameras and internet discourse was young designer Robert Wun, who dressed popstars, billionaires, playwrights and tennis players. Marrying technology and fashion, Wun's interpretation of the body focused on extending its reach—literally. BLACKPINK's Lisa donned 3D printed casts of her own arms; Jordan Roth came accompanied by a mannequin torso and head attached to his back; Nichapat Suphat's dress was tugged on by moving hands as she cruised up the steps, and the list goes on (for seven looks total, to be exact). Chase Infiniti wears Thom Browne Teyana Taylor wears Tom Ford by Haider Ackermann Within the billionaire vein, let's address the Amazon-dwelling elephant in the room: the appointment of Lauren and Jeff Bezos as honorary chairs of the Gala upstaged any promotional material the event could've hoped for. The “Tech Gala,” as it was deemed online (with nudges via Emily Blunt's character in The Devil Wears Prada 2), alluded to Condé Nast's desperation for funding, with users stating their disappointment in the bastardisation of what, to some, is the celebration of the best the fashion industry has to offer. It seems once billionaires have run out of things to purchase, they have pivoted to trying to acquire the one thing money can't buy: taste. In a blatantly transparent search for attention, their presence significantly taints the prestige surrounding the Met, with many longtime viewers citing this as their reason to boycott the event. Mrs Bezos made her appearance sans-Jeff, in Schiapparelli, referencing John Singer Sargent's 1884 painting Madame X, a recurring inspiration throughout the evening. The work is known as the scandalous portrait of its day, depicting Parisian socialite Madame Pierre Gautreau's dress strap slipping off the shoulder––so outrageous at the time that Sargent repainted it with the strap upright. The icons of the event came in the form of hotly anticipated duos. Newcomers Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie took polar opposite approaches to their debuts, with Williams leaning into the costume strain of the theme as a Balenciaga bullfighter, while Storrie kept it sleek in Saint Laurent, where he was recently appointed ambassador after a rumoured multi-million-dollar bidding war. After a decade-long hiatus, Beyoncé graced the steps in Olivier Rousteing alongside daughter Blue Ivy. Finally, the unofficial Met Gala royal couple, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky, returned in Maison Margiela and Chanel, respectively. And finally, as I know it’s the question on everybody's minds, my favourite look was one of the very first: Emma Chamberlain in Mugler. Perfectly blending art, the body, costume, and an homage to the house's iconic archive, all with stunning glam to match. With all these references, each detail thought through for weeks by artists and designers with so many opinions to be scrutinised, how can anyone not care about fashion's biggest night? I certainly will continue to weigh in until someone is sent to stop me.

EGONLAB JUST PRESENTED ITS AW26 COLLECTION DURING PARIS FASHION WEEK, MARKING THE HOUSE’S NINTH SHOW SINCE ITS FOUNDING IN 2019. FASHION WRITER HARRY NICHOLSON BREAKS DOWN WHAT UNFOLDED ON THE RUNWAY. POETLAB AW26: WHERE VALUES LEAD FASHION POET-LAB FURTHER REFINES ITS PHILOSOPHY IN ITS LATEST COLLECTION, PRESENTING AN EMPOWERED VISION OF FEMININITY SHAPED BY ITS PRINCIPLES OF DIVERSITY AND SELF-AUTHORSHIP. HARRY NICHOLSON RECALLS THE SHOW. Written by Harry Nicholson There is something quite confrontational about Poet-Lab’s Autumn/Winter 2026 show. But don’t worry, it is not as you would think. Usually, the association of women unshackling themselves from the oppressive rules they have been bound by throughout the patriarchal reign of history is unapologetic, bombastic, perhaps dare I say, radical. Yet in creative director Giuseppe Iaciofano’s interpretation of this shift, there are no such theatrics. Instead, models saunter through the stripped-back, brightly ethereal halls of E1, Spitalfields, with a kind of composure that suggests they know exactly who they are. Iaciofano’s newest collection, titled ‘Inside the Lab’, explores liberation and restraint achieved through the untethered autonomy of being a woman. It is an ambitious thesis - as well as one that has been interpreted countless times before - but it largely lands. Each look acts as a facet of the moment a woman stops herself from adapting to toxic expectations and begins to write her own narrative. “This collection is a wake-up call around gender and diversity,” the designer told me. “London has always been a city that represents freedom and individuality - a place for everyone. ” The champion of this collection is the silhouette. Columned gowns and slip-skirts form the backbone of the collection, with tailoring serving only a structural purpose. Dresses seem to be almost shedding from the body, trailing languidly a meter behind along the floor. To that end, exposure recurs throughout the looks, be it the back, shoulders, or even the chest. I enjoy how the bareness of this collection doesn’t rely on being overly sexy or being used as a tool for cheap allure; rather, it feels emancipatory. Seeing familiar 70s silhouettes dissolve feels cleverly symbolic, as if the oppression of these bygone decades is shedding with them, becoming something self-defined through seeing more of the body. Just as much, asymmetrical cuts and openings similarly reject the traditionally ‘perfect’ proportions historically imposed on women’s garments, releasing old expectations in favour of something rawer, freer. A palette drawn from decades past appears anew, polka-dotted white and powdered blues interrupted by shades of black. Similarly to the coverage, fabrics interplay between fragility and armour, such as sheer organzas and lace against soft leathers. All are dead-stock fabrics - central to the designer’s sustainable approach - although the patterns repeatedly draw a fine line between good rhythm and familiarity. Yet more compellingly, braided details resonate a handmade, even communal quality that nods to the collective ritual of braiding hair, threads or bread, transactions that link generations of womanhood. Looking more closely at those wearing the collection, Iaciofano deserves kudos for how efficiently his casting reinforces Poet-Lab’s principle of genderless and inclusive design. Models ranged from those you’d expect to see, to older generations and drag queens - most notably longtime collaborator Eilirjani, The Real Elliot (who flew from Las Vegas just for us!) and Tayce. “For me, diversity is not a trend; it is a character. It should bring strength and depth to a collection,” Iaciofano explains. Seeing such a variety of confident women These clothes drive the message that femininity is not fixed to one identity and the clamps on authority shouldn’t be accepted by any woman, no matter who they are. Poet-Lab is a brand anchored in its ethos since its debut in 2023, and ‘Inside the Lab’ feels like another chapter to its manifesto. In this case, it is a belief that, as Iaciofano says, “When a designer has a dream, they also have a muse. The muse is not just a face - it is an energy, a belief system, a shared vision.” In its intent, the collection is a call to freedom, from imposed conventions or otherwise, to define oneself. As varied as the looks may be, that vision remains cohesive throughout. It is refreshing to see a brand so firmly guided by its meaningful principles and not just its aesthetics. I hope Poet-Lab can continue to stay true to this mission as it goes forward.

EACH YEAR, THE WOMENSWEAR PATHWAY AT CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS PARTNERS WITH THE CRISTÓBAL BALENCIAGA MUSEUM IN THE NAMELY, BALENCIAGA PROJECT. BETH DARROCH SAT FRONT ROW AND WATCHED IT UNFOLD AND TELLS US MORE ABOUT DESIGNER IMOGEN GREGORY'S STELLAR COLLECTION. INSPIRED BY BALENCIAGA: INSIDE SAINT MARTINS’ BA SHOW EACH YEAR, THE WOMENSWEAR PATHWAY AT CENTRAL SAINT MARTINS PARTNERS WITH THE CRISTÓBAL BALENCIAGA MUSEUM IN THE NAMELY, BALENCIAGA PROJECT. BETH DARROCH SAT FRONT ROW AND WATCHED IT UNFOLD AND TELLS US MORE ABOUT DESIGNER IMOGEN GREGORY'S STELLAR COLLECTION. Written by Beth Darroch Edited by Gabriel Mealor-Pritchard Balenciaga is not an easy reference to inherit, but at Central Saint Martins, the students of BA Fashion Design Womenswear didn't really try to. Instead, they got on a plane to Spain, spent time with nine pieces inside the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum, and came back with something to say. The brief asked them to look at how Balenciaga absorbed popular costume into his practice, how he abstracted and elevated it, and what that process of adaptation might look like when placed in the hands of a generation navigating a very different set of pressures. Each pathway documented its research and creative development before designing a complete outfit, assessed by both Central Saint Martins and the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum, with the emphasis falling on technique and interpretation rather than straight-up homage. The question was never really whether students could replicate Balenciaga's silhouettes, but whether they could understand what drove them. Forty-seven looks were presented at the LVMH Theatre, and among the designers was Imogen Gregory, whose two pieces shifted the conversation to somewhere more real. “My project draws on the Spanish folktale La gallina de los huevos de oro, The Hen That Laid the Golden Eggs,” she explains. “In the story, the farmer keeps pushing the hen to produce more golden eggs until he destroys the very thing that was sustaining him.” In Gregory’s interpretation, the hen represents the British public, while the farmer stands in for government policy, economic systems and rising living costs. The metaphor reflects a population being forced to produce more through longer hours, multiple jobs and constant Financial compromise. Material choice becomes central to that argument. “I took some bamboo and indigo dyed it, and the material is cheesecloth treated by airbrush laced with coffee,” she says. “The main idea was trying to take tailoring in a contemporary lens and use resources around us, to show that people can’t afford tailored garments anymore because of the pressures of the government.” Where Balenciaga worked with the refinement of couture fabrics, Gregory uses bamboo, cheesecloth and coffee. Tailoring, usually tied to ideas of status and security, is handled more resourcefully here. The lace is stained rather than pristine, the finish less polished, but the structure is still there. It feels shaped by the realities of the moment, not removed from them. And yet, Gregory does not frame the metaphor as entirely hopeless. Reflecting on time spent in Balenciaga’s hometown, she describes people sitting in winding streets drinking wine despite economic pressure. Even if the eggs are a source of stress and hardship, she says, they are still golden.“There is still value in each one”, she states. Across the show, that balance between reverence and resistance was clear. Balenciaga’s influence could be seen in the rigour of cut and attention to construction, but it was filtered through contemporary experience. At Central Saint Martins, heritage is preserved and tested against the realities students are living through now.