Fashion mavericks Catherine Teatum and Rob Jones significantly upped their game for Teatum Jones’ SS16 collection, pivoting on worldly subjects of great importance: politics and conflict.
Their muse, Leymah Gbowee, a Liberian peace activist, inspired clothes that not only reflected the gravitas of the occasion, but also the relief of emancipation. African-themed fabrics exploded in joyous colours symbolising liberation, and were juxtaposed against more modest materials that marked the poverty of the country.
Bold, innovative fabrics were married with modern, relevant shapes, pushing focus on textural surfaces and mismatched tonal patterns. The collection showed scrupulous attention to detail, with impressive 3D rawness and hand-painted bouclé bomber jackets, whilst monochrome checks, layered against geometric fringed wool, formed an unexpected harmony.
Tailored silhouettes presented soft yet bravely voluminous looks; ruffles were layered over sheer, pleated netting. Separates ruled this runway, with the skirt being the group leader of a simple palette of black, white and berry red.
Ethereal hats, made in collaboration with milliner Emily Baxendale of Emily-London, presented a new take on traditional headscarves created from cubic cage structures, and wrapped in fraying shreds of soft fil coupé.
When the duo appeared for their bow, Jones wore a sweatshirt saying “Welcome”, whilst Teatum wore one that said “Refugees”, leaving their audience to reflect on the current crisis.
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