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Phoebe English's 'Lost Touch': A tale of tranquillity and intrigue.
'Lost Touch', the first Phoebe English London Fashion Week collection since 2020, was shown at the Rose Easton Gallery in a peaceful, all-white room. The first model, wearing a quarter-length midi-dress made out of mesh bridal gown off-cuts, wandered onto the stark white backdrop. She stood and stared out into the audience. There she would remain for the next ten minutes.
Waiting and expecting.
Phoebe English, known for her use of circular fashion and experimental sustainability techniques, created a collection of pure tranquillity. The slow, steady pace of each model, eventually coming to a stop against the backdrop of classical cello music by Christopher Allan, was mesmerising to watch.
The British designer, who won the BFC Leaders of Change award in 2021, is known for using textile waste to bring her collections to life. This time, bridal off-cuts were shaped into flowers and leaves, woven into ribbons and transformed into silk shirt and trouser sets, ruffled sleeves, and translucent layered dresses, styled by Peghah Maleknejad (assisted by Arielle Gold).
Models of various ages appeared one by one from behind a white wall, dotting themselves in different places. Never touching, never interacting.
The poem that accompanied the collection (typed out on sheets of white A4 paper and stuck around the room) made everything make sense. The use of a singular colour is brave; what could be seen as boring became intriguing by the wonder of what combination of fabrics and draping would appear from behind the wall next. The collection was being transferred from one model to the next, from young to old.
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