Christopher Raeburn lit up the BFC showspace with his autumn/winter 2017 catwalk show for London Fashion Week Men’s. Entitled CUT’N SHUT, the collection captures a central preoccupation with deconstructing and reconstructing garments, driven by an ethos of innovation and sustainability.
Bomb disposal uniforms, wool blankets and camouflage jackets have been remade in the designer’s east London studio to form anorak and parka coats, biker and bomber jackets. An upcycled British multi terrain smock becomes a field jacket, while parachute material can be seen incorporated across joggers, T-shirts and hoodies stamped with the REMADE logo.
Womenswear pieces informed by the aesthetic present an extended unisex range. From a wintery base of charcoal, pale grey, black and khaki, an exhilarating flash of fluorescent yellow and turquoise shoots through the collection, a brazen repost to the subdued tones of the season.
But it’s through the accessory display that the designer’s playful side is further highlighted: models are laden with three-piece capsule bags, produced in collaboration with Eastpak, in a mirror reflection of the camouflage and fluorescent clothing. The star of the range is the season’s mascot, a chameleon, thrown cheekily across models backs in black leather. A final entrance made by a model bearing the entire bag collection made a tongue-in-cheek statement.
Further collaborations were included with local denim maker Blackhorse Lane Atelier on organic jeans, Avery Dennison RBIS on their recycled woven labelling and Clarks with high-top boots.
Citing Ellsworth Kelly’s ghost army as a point of inspiration, Christopher Raeburn plays on contradictions: camouflage that conceals while fluorescents reveal; utilitarian yet fun-loving designs and new creations from old materials to achieve equally experimental and wearable pieces.
Hoarding has long been a subject of fascination for storytellers and audiences alike, spawning countless pseudo-docs offering an exploitative peek into the lives of sufferers. Emerging playwright Chloe Lawrence-Taylor is clearly fascinated with the subject, too, but presents a more sympathetic, nuanced view in Personal Values. Stuck (almost literally) in her overstuffed...
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