Vodou is a worldview; or atleast, that’s how the design duo at Botter describe it. Vodou is the native religion of Haiti, born of the unification of rich spiritual customs that arrived in the country by way of the transatlantic slave trade, colonially imposed Catholicism and creolisation. It’s also the focus of the brand’s SS24 menswear offering and a salutation of the autonomously-determined cultural identities that developed in a post-colonial Caribbean. Rushemy Botter and Lisi Herrebrugh looked at the spiritual tradition of Vodou’s values, which encompasses the philosophy in which “everything within the universe affects everything else”, according to the show notes, and “the connection between the living and the spirits, the Earth, the land, and various bodies of water is important in all that work together to seek balance and to restore harmony and rhythm.” This ethos reverberates through their work, notably their attention to ocean pollution and sustainable innovation.
Dubbed Vodun, the collection unfurls with a continuous flow of energy whizzing through twisted, tailored tops in effervescent hues and textural knitwear made using upcycled Scooby Doo yarns to deliver a taste of “dream-reality confusion” as the design duo call it. And suddenly, we’re off to the island of “Caribbean Couture”, gender-blending garb and, well, misfit toys. A low-slung belt is made from tiny doll hands and sits atop a pair of simple wide-leg trousers while a babydoll head creates a chimera with its neck glued to the body of a t-rex. These adornments were fashioned by Daniel Von Weinberger who repurposed discarded playthings.
Elsewhere, printed on organic silks and woven into a jacquard with Algae and cotton yarns, Haitian artist Day Brierre illustrates the Haitian diaspora. There are second-skin stockings and imprinted latex that fits like a glove too, partnered with leaf-shaped leather bags.
A continuation of Botter’s Reebok collab also crops up between subversive tailoring cut with bikini tops and slits, and delicate gossamer florals. This included Bo Kèts sneakers – a wavy transformation of the soccer cleat – sportswear and a distorted pool slide. Major.
Photography by Christina Fragkou.
