Fashion Studio Magazine: LONDON FASHION WEEK

Sunday, February 18, 2018

LONDON FASHION WEEK

Press Release

Chalayan Autumn/Winter 2018

Périphérique

Photos by Chris Moore, Catwalking (Click to enlarge)

The banlieue of Paris could be used as an example to depict results of unintegrated immigration.

Many consider the current influx of immigration to be the arrival of the ‘other’, and somehow many people feel removed due to the numbers of those arriving, and the cultural differences they pose.

We are witnessing the building of a new world order, in which we need to go beyond ‘tolerating’ these new ‘arrivals’, and embracing integration in North-West Europe just as we did with the Holocaust survivors of WWII.

Périphérique is a reaction to this immigration ordeal we are witnessing.

In this light the Chalayan womenswear wardrobe (like a group of people in a state of flux) reflects a sense of violence on an imaginary journey starting from central to the banlieue of Paris. This begins with tailoring that gradually morphs into sportswear, and throughout, panels are removed or torn apart to shift one garment to another. This creates a sense of unison and a continuous movement amongst these outfits.

Hidden, brighter colours such as violet and deep red are intertwined with a second layer of neutral colours. North African blanket weaves are constructed using wools and cashmeres, with light tailoring constructed in the typical Chalayan black and white palette. In addition, protective shells occasionally crafted in gold foil are torn away to reveal another core undergarment beneath.

Prints are inspired by abstracting the aerial map of the banlieue of Paris.