London Fashion Week: EDWARD CRUTCHLEY Spring/Summer Collection is on a Whole New Level

EDWARD CRUTCHLEY SPRING/SUMMER 2023 is an extremely bold collection birthed via a deep thought process…check out the official line below and shoutout to the mind behind it!“The Only Constant in Life is Change”

This fragment, attributed to Heraclitus of Ephesus, who, in his susceptibility to melancholia went on to bear the title “the weeping philosophy”, shall serve as a premie for our brief, but collective sojourn. Within the unexplored waters of change, it is impossible for any human to step into the same waters twice, as Heraclitus enlightens us:

“Πάντα ῥεῖ” (Everything always flows).

Dynamics begin to form:

Sea contra land, flow contra rigidity, myth contra realism, relieving amorphousness contra constricting framework, otherness contra conformity.

How can these differences be reconciled?

The ancient Greeks had an intricate relationship with the ever-changing sea. While a resource, a spring of power, the sea’s otherness, its every-changing unpredictable nature, brute force and indomitable will were feared.

At their core many stories within Greek mythology are about interpersonal conflict. The solution is often a form of metamorphosis. Liminal beings, bestowed with the power of transition or change act as bearers of resolution. Unlike humans, their very essence allows them to shift through contrasting realms: the mortal and the divine. Land and sea.

Proteus (Πρωτεύς), a liminal being that not only dwells in but also embodies rivers and oceanic bodies of water exemplifies this. When revealed to the human eye, Proteus takes on the “Old man of the Sea” form, when concealed he enjoys the epithet of (God of) “elusive sea change”. And while he bears the gift of prophecy, in his reluctance to share it with humanity, Proteus shape shifts. Proteus will only enlighten those seeking to know the only constant (which is change) if they are able to catch him mid-metamorphosis.

His capabilities endure in the English language. We still use the word “protean” to describe the ability to change intermittently and effortlessly. Much like fashion.

Perhaps, the only way to peacefully coexist with change is to be protean ourselves.

Perhaps, we will capture Proteus on our sojourn today.

– Aron Alexandros De Vallier Petridis

*All of the textiles developed exclusively for the collection are new interpretations on cloqué: a double fabric with a jacquard effect rich in couture sensibility. In some, aluminium has been woven to create a crinkle, in others, lurex offers iridescence. 

 

RUN OF SHOW

Look one:
Multi frill gown made in a silk and aluminium cloqué jacquard*
Holographic platform triple strap sandals made by ROKER

Look two:
Four-button high-break half-lined jacket made in fully traceable RWS certified wool and mohair*
Cargo mini skirt made in fully traceable WRS certified wool and mohair
Dropped waist button up skirt made in silk and aluminium cloqué jacquard
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

*The Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) is a voluntary benchmark that is working to ensure a strong chain of custody for certified materials as they move through the supply chain. 

Look three:
Lightly padded midi liner coat made in silk and aluminium cloqué jacquard*
Silk and aluminium cloqué jacquard scarf tied as belt
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

*Archetype couture shapes and opulent textile are amplified. When splayed, these clothes resemble flora and fauna. Flowers in bloom, jelly fish in motion, aquatic vegetation aflutter. 

Look four:
Oversized skater shirt in silk and aluminium cloqué jacquard
Flared button up skirt in fully traceable RWS certified wool and mohair
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look five:
Sleeveless Mac with exaggerated back yoke and epaulettes in silk and aluminium cloqué jacquard
Tapered deep pleat elasticated cargo pant in recycled polyester in A.I. inspired abalone print
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look six:
Cropped sheath top covered in crystal polyester ribbons
High cut briefs in recycled crepe jersey
Dropped waist button up skirt in silk Habomai, hand dipped to give the effect of rippled water
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look seven:
Multi pocket zip front bomber in water effect nylon made using a faceted yarn ton refract light
High crop bra top made in recycled crepe jersey
Midi length skirt covered in crystal polyester ribbons
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look eight:
Bodycon power mesh midi dress encrusted with aurora borealis and holographic sequin waves, hand embroidered pleats and bead encrustations
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look nine:
Frill sleeve mini dress made in water effect nylon made using a faceted yarn to refract light
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look ten:
Power mesh vest encrusted with aurora borealis, holographic sequin waves and hand embroidered pleat and bead encrustations
Maxi length mac with exaggerated back yoke and epaulettes in water effect nylon made using a faceted yarn to refract light
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look eleven:
Lightly padded maxi liner coat in water effect nylon made using a faceted yarn to refract t light*
Water effect nylon scarf worn as belt
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

*For the last two seasons Crutchley has been gently expanding on a vocabulary of queer glamour. An unapologetic opulence reverberates in his clothes. Here he has taken extravagance – and maximised it. The dial was at 7 and now it is at 9. 

Look twelve:
Jewel and sequin encrusted cupels bra
Tapered deep pleat cargo pants in water effect nylon made using a faceted yarn to refract light
WE WILL RETURN / I WILL BE BACK t-shirt ticket into back of pants
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look thirteen:
Lightly padded midi liner coat made in recycled polyester in A.I. inspired abalone print
Recycled polyester A.I. abalone print scarf worn as belt
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look fourteen:
Multi yarn bodycon top with dropped stitch hole details
Multi yarn bodycon skirt with dropped stitch hole details
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look fifteen:
Alpaca abstract aurora jacquard knit beanie
Multi pocket trekking shirt with exaggerated floating back yoke in an organic silk printed with an abstract aurora design
Alpaca crop top in an abstract aurora jacquard knit
High cut briefs made in recycled crepe jersey
Cargo miniskirt made in fully traceable RWS certified wool and mohair
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look sixteen:
Alpaca abstract aurora jacquard knit beanie
Bodycon power mesh mini dress encrusted with aurora borealis, holographic sequin waves and hand embroidered pleat and bead encrustations
Alpaca oversized cardigan in an abstract aurora jacquard knit
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look seventeen:
Oversized alpaca sleeveless cardigan in abstract aurora jacquard knit
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look eighteen:
Multi yarn bodycon dress with dropped stitch hole details*
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

*Abstract
layered and rich but with
plenty of skin
chthonic sea goddess stood
on dry, hot, salt-encrusted rocks
she dives into the ocean going
deeper, deeper.

Look nineteen:
Midi length sheath dress covered in crystal polyester eribbons
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look twenty:
Jewel and sequin encrusted cupels bra
Jewel and sequin encrusted low rise brief
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look twenty-one:
Lightly padded maxi liner coat in colour shifting lurex faced cloqué jacquard
Colour shifting lurex faced cloqué jacquard scarf worn as belt
holographic platform trip strap sandal

Look twenty-two:
Puff sleeve minidress in colour shifting lurex and silk tubic cloqué jacquard*
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

*tubic is a method of weaving similar to a brocatelle which has two warps,, achieving a puckered or quilted effect. 

Look twenty-three:
Tulip gown in colour shifting lurex and silk tunic cloqué jacquard
Holographic platform triple strap sandal

Look twenty-four:
Extravaganza gown in colour shifting lurex faced cloqué jacquard*
Holographic platform tripe strap sandal

*”I am not trying to pretend I am making couture but have had experience working in it over the last year it has shaped my approach. Couture – for me – is where you can push your ideas to the farthest point. The work gets to the highest level possible, as far as you can imagine. I am less afraid”

An oyster shell wreath is by Stephen Jones. Shifting pigment metal head pieces are by Victoria Rickard and Gianluigi Zoccheddu. All embroidery was done by The London Embroidery Studio and the prints designed and developed by James Bosley Studio.

The show space is scented in BASALT – a fragrance created by Edward Lorenz using a conceptual arrangement of a traditional Eau du Cologne. At its core is a balsam of dry roasted seashells distilled in an earthenware sill into the rarest Mysore Sandalwood Oil. It evokes the hyperreal, multi-sensory recall of salt-saline air, foam of crashing beach waves and seaweed washed ashore.

SHOW CREDITS

Styling: Julian Ganio
Casting: Sophie Lynas at LEDA Casting
Production: Antony Waller
Press Release: Dal Chodha
Shoes: Roker
Jewellery and Head Pieces: Victoria Rickard and Gianluigi Zoccheddu
Millinery: Stephen Jones
Serpatine Rock Chokers: David Crutchley
Movement Direction: Brieuc Breitenstein
Music: Mickey O’Brien
Historial and Cultural Consultant: Aron Alexandros de Vallier Petridis
Fragrance Design: Edward Lorenz
Hair: Richard Phillipart at Gary Represents sponsored by L’Oreal Professional
Makeup: Michelle Dacillo sponsored by Weleda
Nails: Marie Louise Coster at Nylon Artists using Louella Belle
Lighting Design and Videography: Hydra Design
Runway Photographer: Chris Yates
Backstage and Look-book Photography: Francisco Gomez de Villaboa
Graphic and Textile Design: James Bosely Studio
Embroidery: The London Embroidery Studio
Wovens Production: TRUK 1609
Studio Team: Karen Coughlan, Aron de Vallier, Ava Coffen, Aaron James Ford, Hilary Watts, Yong Hui Tan, Precious Ikekhua, Willow Prieto-Johnson, Lucas Chaillou, Oliver Julius Ross, Lucy Rogers, Mitja Olenik, with thank to Niall Sloane.
Thanks to: L’Oreal Professional, Weleda, Louella Delle, Bower Roebuck, TRUK 1609