UNCANNY-CORE
Fall/Winter 2022-23
Living in the contemporary world gives us a constant feeling of uncanny. Familiar becomes unfamiliar. Everything we used to know loses its clarity. Should fashion for today help us escape into magical realms or restrain itself to strict practicality? Or is it possible to do both? Normcore was never really Acephala's thing. However the opposite, meaning the creation of clothes just for the sake of an idea, doesn’t either harmonise with our consciously orientated philosophy of fashion. For FW2022-23 season we challenged ourselves to create something new but at the same time not new at all, weirdly recognisable while still uniquely striking, something you could call “uncanny-core”. We dived into the surreal world to find inspirations for the one around us.
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Our inspiration originated in the works of Leonora Carrington. Her imaginative alter-ego as hyena became the guiding spirit of the collection (directly visible in the techno-colour print created for the collection and transferred to t-shirts and hoodies). It represents the wild side, animal instincts which are part of every being, as well as uncensored temper and fury. And it presents itself in the form of bold colours (mostly in pink and orange spectrum) and sensual, furry textures.
The clothes have been designed to give energy and power to the person who wears them. They are practical and comfortable, and give the feeling of coziness and comfort. Like furry jumper and scarf set or ribbed-knit pieces which drape around the body and inspire movement. There is simplicity and utility in every piece. However, there is also something uncanny about therm. Polar fleece jackets are created from opulent, flowery, wool-based fabric and cut with decorative zipper opening which accentuates the neck in surprisingly elegant way. Debutante for Carrington’s story could move from the reading couch to the ballroom while wearing the exact same thing which can transform its character through simple accessorising. Tailored jacket and formal coat with notched collar and buttoned cuffs are made of ortalion and filled with puffer insulation, which gives them additional function as handy, portable pillows. The classic man-inspired shirt has been hybridised as a rain shirt.
The masterpiece of the collection is a sweater dress created from the leftover cashmere and wool samples from couture fabric house from Italy which we gathered in our studio throughout the years and couldn’t force ourselves to throw away because of their striking beauty and uniqueness. The samples, smaller than A4 format, has been cut to resemble animal shapes from Carrington paintings, precisely placed on the bodice to create gipiura-like structure and hand sewn onto the tulle netting.
With the new season Acephala continues its efforts in sustainable production. Animal motif dress was created completely from scratch. All of the outerwear was made of ECONYL® regenerated nylon, insulation was produced from recycled plastic bottles. Polar-fleece jackets and hoodies were created in limited edition of stock fabrics coming from our befriended producers from Italy and Portugal. Black pants were made of innovative technical fabric composed of elastomultiester - the fibre which is exceptionally strong and durable (and can be recycled many times). Moreover, 90% of the collection was crafted locally in Warsaw and Poznań.
Credits
Photo: Bartek Korzeniowski
Styling: Marcelina Fabrowicz
Production: Wojciech Tubaja
Makeup and hair: Alicja Konarska
Model: Rita / TheManagement