Upcycled and scrap fabrics became putty in the hands of creative director-duo Lisi Herrebrugh and Rushemy Botter this season. As always, the collection was informed by the rich culture of the Caribbean, which became apparent especially in the vibrant colours, charged with electricity, that washed over the runway. There were darker hues too, reflecting the ocean at its lowermost depths. Calling it Dark Waters, the pair signalled their longtime link with life’s elixir.
The pair also looked at the avant garde philosophy of Arte Povera (which translates to ‘poor art’), a conceptual Italian art movement of the ‘60s and ‘70s, that repurposed unconventional and deliberately ‘poor’ materials. Fragmented materials were spliced up and reassembled accordingly, creating a mosaic of raw-edge patchworks while a typical trouser pattern was reworked to form bulbous trench coats and dresses for women and beaten-up bike saddles were made into bags.
Riffing off of that same philosophy, Botter made a glaring protest to the environmental devastation caused by petrol conglomerates. Shell in particular, was a point of departure,and had its scalloped logo reconfigured to read ‘hell’ (instead of ‘shell’) in fiery lettering.
The brand’s sell-out Energia bo Kéts (part of an ongoing collaboration with Reebok which also saw nylon tracksuits, padded jackets and polo shirts, a crewneck jumper with an illusory collar and a cap, split in three places and sewn back together) also stepped out in two new hues.
Rather than lean into the radical expressionism of the art movement, Herrebrugh and Botter gravitated toward what they call “realistic dressing”, referring to a need to be grounded in the world and in real life, writing “there is no time for fantasy”, in the show notes. Botter is growing up.
Photography by Christina Fragkou.
