At the beginning of September, Gareth Pugh turned his catwalk show into what he defined an "immersive live performance" (sponsored by Lexus) and transported it in a pier near the South Street Seaport in New York, during the local fashion week (off schedule).
The point of the performance wasn't actually showing the clothes, but introducing the many layers that make a collection, its moods and the vision behind it, through a multimedia extravaganza.
Hence the LED screens in a stone circle formation incorporating videos by Ruth Hogben, the dancers fighting and swirling in costumes (animal horns, wings, sack masks...) that mixed folk and pagan, juxtaposing them to technology and modernity, and the climax of the show, an angel-like girl with long tendrils (vaguely resembling a maypole but meant to symbolise a phoenix) floating in the air on a video screen (by the way, the show was choreographed by Wayne McGregor, resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet in London).
The main inspiration of the collection – the spirit of folk – was easier to grasp in his showroom presentation in Paris, but the key to understanding the meaning of certain garments is currently on display at "Simon Costin's Impossible Catwalk Shows" exhibition at The Fashion Space Gallery, London.
Costin is establishing the Museum of British Folklore and one of the moodboards on display in the gallery shows specific inspirations and his own archival images, the starting points for this collection.
Though evoking Sheila Legge, Surrealist Phantom at the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition in London, and calling to mind Leigh Bowery's experiments in mutating the human form, a model with her face covered up and a few designs in a furry fabric, were distant homages to the Burry Man in South Queensferry, though in Pugh's case chiffon flowers or the texture of the fabric recreated the thistle armour that covers this affable monster-like figure.
Garments scattered with pearl buttons or embellished in sequin-like buttons were hints at the Pearly Kings and Queens, while the strips of the Flag Crackers of Craven were recreated in monochrome black or white chiffon rags.
Pugh's geometries were transformed into the shapes and forms of specific folk costumes: a round circle covered with strips of chiffon evoked the mask and black frame of the traditional Obby Oss in Padstow, while the ropes protruding from the sleeves of his sharp jackets may have been references to maypoles (Wicker Man inspired?).
Garments with an optical black and white print pointed instead towards the ships covered in dazzle camouflage during the First World War (this optical camouflage print was recently relaunched thanks to the "Fleet of Dazzle" range made by Patternity in collaboration with the Imperial War Museum in London).
Pugh's semantics was recreated in the geometric coats and dresses, though it must be highlighted that there weren't maybe too many extremely new pieces in this collection. The real innovation stood in the approach to fabrics: rough scarecrow-like sackcloth looked as if it had been made on ancient looms, and pointed towards the luxury that may come from traditions and crafts (is "folk luxury" a new trend?).
According to the legend, the two 'Obby Osses in Padstow meet at the maypole, before returning to their respective stables where the crowd sings of the 'Obby 'Oss death, until its resurrection the following year.
Folk seems to be a credible inspiration for fashion as the construction of the garments can provide designers with great ideas. But there is also another reason why folk and fashion go well together: many folk rites revolve around a cyclical pattern and two contrasting concepts - death and resurrection, just like fashion.
Who knows if Pugh will take further this obsession and interest in British folk. It will be interesting instead to see what will happen if he grows disinterested in the idea of fashion as a commercial venture and if he keeps on focusing more on showing the image and inspiration behind his designs.
Pugh studied fine art and dance in Sunderland, before moving to Central Saint Martin’s in London and his passion for performances, dance and theatre may one day take him away from more commercial collections.
Quite often Pugh has proved that his theatricality works better on the stage or on film than on the runway (leaving aside his first rather messed up experiments like the one we saw in 2011 in Florence), and the loss of the fashion world may be the gain of the performing arts. The time has come to bring back a bit of Leigh Bowery's outrageousness on stage and this could be an attractive prospect for a designer who, tired of the usual fashion presentations, is looking for new challenges and for more innovative ways to express himself.
Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos
Member of the Boxxet Network of Blogs, Videos and Photos
Comments
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.