Though Marques' Almeida may not be a household name - yet - the trends the London-based label has kickstarted are. Their Central Saint Martins-trained duo’s fingerprints are all over the frayed hem denim, puffa jackets and kick flares that have defined the last half a decade of fashion. So, a lot was riding on their London Fashion Week show today. To save you the suspense, they didn't disappoint.
Like any Marques' Almeida show it was rife with obscure reference and teeny nuanced details that will blossom into full-blown trends for next season. Take the marabou-hemmed pyjama silk dresses, for instance. I readily expect to see Topshop, ASOS and Zara try their hand at them. Likewise, one-off concepts like the tie of a cargo pant or the introduction of a sequin waistcoat might herald a new awakening of a forgotten mid-2000s staple.
Whether conscious or not, the collection touched on the current troublesome relationship between America and Asia. In a desecrated set of long Victorian railway arches in the East End, the models walked to a soundtrack of Dolly Parton while wearing a new twist on cowboy boots. The Americana theme didn't stop there as cowhide, plaid and the wide deck chair-thick stripes of the United States' flag were leitmotifs of the collection. However, the introduction of Nehru collar dresses and lopsided blouses, as well as a take on East Asian dragon print added tension. Like the cultures in conversation, the intricate print covered board shorts, and the vibrant silk brocade of cheongsam dresses were inserted into cowhide biker jackets or corseted a striped shirt, which was paired with fatigue-coloured cropped cargo pants.
The show notes perfectly summed it up: ‘This collection feels so free and so full of different references to so many different amazing women’. Ulterior political motives or not, Marques’ Almeida has managed to encapsulate the way their generation Z consumers think. Like their famous frayed and ripped denim, the M’A girl dresses without borders or clean lines of division. Their wardrobe is a jigsaw without partition lines.
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This article originally appeared on The Debrief.