February 25, 2025 |
Not many designers are world builders in the same way as Yaku Stapleton. With each season, the young designer pads out his Afrofuturistic narrative that little bit more, carving out fantastical stories that have captured the hearts of those who swarm to his immersive presentations. For AW25, the London-based designer and BFC NewGen recipient took the characters he has spent the past few seasons developing on a new journey. This time, they prepare to “step into the unknown”. Each character, based on different members of Stapleton’s family, have now, as the show notes state, mastered their crafts; hunting, camouflage, survival skills etc. They’re now ready to face whatever lies ahead.
Communicating a fully realised world, the presentation was titled Sunset on Tutorial Island and the garments, although only a part of the multidimensional experience, were very strong. Flavoured with the same video-game-esque aesthetics Stapleton has become recognised for, the silhouettes were relaxed, elevated in their details. Stapleton’s talent also lies in his ability to streamline such a textured world into pieces that feel genuinely wearable. Windbreaker jackets had their hoods stretched into horns, while puffy bombers featured 3D pectoral muscles and elbow pads. Loose-fitting, hand-dyed shorts were rugged and frayed, styled with very buyable graphic tees. Some of the louder pieces, like chunky coats with oversized, horned hoods still sit comfortably on the right side of the creative scale, avoiding the gimmicky trap some designers fall foul of. Yaku Stapleton is just getting started.
Photography courtesy of Yaku.
