There's different ways to be political and vent your anger in fashion: you can wear your opinion on a slogan T-shirt, for example, or you can opt for more silent and subtle conceptual forms of protest as Hussein Chalayan did during his A/W 17 runway show that marked his return to London.
The collection was showcased on Saturday at Sadler's Wells Theater, a venue reminiscent of Chalayan's early presentations (before he decided to move to the Paris schedule 16 years ago) like his show for "After Words" with its iconic skirt that turned into a wood table. The location also hinted at the designer's collaboration with the contemporary dance company that resulted in the 2015 performance "Gravity Fatigue".
The looks that opened the show were characterised by a monastic modernity, a sense of humbleness that called to mind the arty simplicity of Joseph Beuys' felt suit.
In this first section of the runway models mainly donned tunic-like tops, soft loose pants with side belts, and cocooning jackets.
The palette revolved around neutral tones of concrete grays and autumnal browns, that faded to a black and white monochrome. There were therefore no visually striking surface elaborations in bright and bold colours, ideal for that perfect Instagram moment, but the pieces had some artfully tailoring tricks.
One black design looked like a dress matched with a linear coat, but it was actually one piece, its fluid lines harmonically enveloped the models' body, while a black jacket was reworked as a corset and matched with a white shirt.
There was probably more than just one inspiration in the collection: the wool felt fabric pointed at Beuys, but the column-like gowns were reminiscent of Ancient Greek sculptures (a hint at a return to solid ancient values?).
Greece actually gave Chalayan also an architectural inspiration: a jacquard represented an Ancient Greek city map combined with Manhattan's modern grid system, an idea for all women who may feel like architectural goddesses, but also a political message.
The modern grid structure created indeed the conditions for businesses and society to flourish in Manhattan, and embodied a New World sensibility, offering at the same time new opportunities and allowing a multicultural, highly networked landscape to flourish.
The bare threads on some of the designs introduced instead the closing numbers: at the very end of the show models walked towards the front of the stage and fiercely ripped a paper flap or panel integrated in their clothes around the chest area.
This aggressive gesture of liberation revealed tinsel strips and streamers in bold sparkling tones of green and purple, glitter and feathers that, floating in the air, fell to the ground.
It was a sudden explosion of tackiness and joy in the monastic quiet and austere moods Chalayan had created with the rest of the collection and it pointed at the dual rhythms that regulate our lives – calm and protest, peace and anger, celebration and aggression, and the dichotomies solitude and isolation Vs fellowship and society.
While the choice of showcasing the collection in London seemed coherent with the location of his menswear show and with the fact that the designer opened in 2015 his own store on Mayfair's Bourdon Street, it remains unclear if his womenswear runways will return to Paris in future.
Surely, for the time being, the ones who gained the most from this collection and show were London's fashion students: 300 free tickets were indeed awarded to them.
While it was a shame there was no technological collaboration in this show like in the previous collection, students hopefully benefited from this lesson in conceptualism and subtle political messages with an architectural twist.
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