April 8, 2022 |
“Rough around the edges with an optimistic outlook.” That’s how Edward Cuming chooses to describe his namesake label, founded on the eve of the pandemic in 2019. Hailing from Australia but now based in Madrid, Cuming already counts Dover Street Market and Departamento LA as stockists. His work is defined by vivid colour in unexpected combinations and purposeful imperfections, in a quest to display the human hand that constructs his pieces.
A graduate of Central Saint Martins’ prestigious MA course, Cuming balances his own brand with his teaching gig in Barcelona. “The creative scene here is amazing. I wish Madrid and Spain, in general, had the same support systems that London has for young creatives,” says the designer. “I really am so inspired by the talent and passion I see in my students. It’s a shame that most need to look for work elsewhere.”
The support early-on from the likes of Opening Ceremony and Comme des Garçons Trading Museum have been vital in the growth of Cuming’s own label. “They really helped the brand get off the ground and opened a space for what I was creating. Of course, the pandemic put a hold on a lot of things but I feel we were flexible enough as a brand to navigate the waters successfully,” he says. For the brand’s first full autumn/winter collection, Cuming has channelled a sensual sort of rebellion, creating a co-ed collection inspired the garments he wore through his adolescence.
Through frayed tunics, roomy trousers and louche tailoring with double-bonded, exposed seams, the designer toys with the concept of inversion, defying traditional techniques, particularly within menswear, for a wardrobe that explores notions of comfort, protection and softness.
As the designer explains, the collection – titled Have We Emerged Yet? – began with the trousers. “My dear friend and stylist Patricia Villirillo was talking to me about how she is always pinning up the backs of her trousers to not destroy the hems while still having this overflowing sensation in the front, which we both love. This moved me to try and pattern that into something intentional which can be seen in the engineered draping on the kick-up trouser models, these are rendered in a draped brown wool, structured black twill and grey track cotton fabric. Each piece feels different as the fabric reacts differently to the technique, but each result feels cool.”
This season sees the designer expand into knitwear and denim, as well as accessories. Standouts include a heavy wool cardigan, inspired by one the designer wore till it practically fell apart as a teenager, as well as a raw-edge, cropped duffel coat and taffy pink T-shirts adorned with a circle motif. “The circle is something that has been evolving for a while,” says Cuming. “We had been working with a lot of vertical patching and slashing techniques and I just felt I wanted to round out some of the edges and break up the silhouette in the middle. The way we layer fabrics to create graphics, as well as texture, felt like a window to the inside.”
Many of the pieces you see here are modelled by thrift store finds beloved by the designer from over a decade ago, “crudely cut” by Cuming for a fit he always desired, subtly challenging classic silhouettes in the process.
Photography by Jules Moskovtchenko.
