John Richmond isn’t afraid to dredge up the previous — the truth is, he revels in it.
The designer, whose work outlined the underground membership scene of the Eighties, returned to his roots and tapped into the uncooked power of punk-goth membership tradition by staging a decades-spanning mash-up contained in the Covent Backyard nightclub Stereo.
Richmond spliced references in Frankenstein-like trend: lace parachute pants and totally different coloured studded creepers from the ’80s paired with leather-based fingerless gloves, whereas fishnet tights layered underneath shorts evoked the ’90s.
“It’s a mishmash of all and spat out into one thing related to in the present day,” Richmond advised WWD. “I seemed again at my first sketchbooks from the late ’70s; it’s uncanny how related the designs and silhouettes are. We maintain going round in circles, however I don’t suppose there’s something flawed with that. It’s vital to make it recent and related, to maintain shifting ahead.”
Eschewing the usual trend week backdrops, Richmond leaned into the grit of an actual nightclub. The dimly lit house, punctuated by digital camera flashes, accentuated the gathering’s darkish palette and neon trimmings and gave the present the texture of an enormous night time out greater than a cultured runway.
“I’ve finished many basic catwalk reveals. It’s a well-worn path that fits trend week, that’s identified and accepted by everybody, however everybody always complains that it’s outdated,” he stated. “So I made a decision to strive one thing totally different.”
The end result? Richmond’s punk previous hit the current with a recent cost of relevance.
