Creating a dystopian, posthuman environment for autumn/winter 15, Cottweiler’s futurist presentation at Alison Jacques Gallery, soundtracked by Holly Herndon, continued the brand’s exploration of innovative ways to present their collections. The follow up to their lauded presentation at the ICA for spring/summer 15, and off the back of clothing FKA Twigs for her UK tour, autumn/winter 15 was run through with contradictory aesthetics, between light and dark, man made and natural, tough yet liquid.
These contradictory aesthetics continued in the way they presented their models. In one room they were raised up on filing cabinets sitting on pieces of slate, in the other they were floor level, in pitch dark, illuminated only by a moving strip of white light. The collection continued to push Cottweiler’s singular world, a desaturated palette of white, grey, light blue, and black, and a cut that mixes the familiar and futuristic, with fabrics that sit between the natural (mohair, cotton) and man made (teflon, nylon). We speak to the brand about sitting out the spotlight, technical fabrics and reinventing household objects.
As well as a focus on liquid and water within the fabrics this season, there’s tension between the man made and the natural that runs through this collection?
We were getting tired of looking at technical fabrics and trims and we started to become interested in combining a more organic aesthetic with functional fabrication. We wanted to challenge the obvious images that are conjured up when describing a technical fabric. For example, this season we have used teflon coated nylon that has the appearance of crisp white cotton. The use of water has been mostly instinctive and even sometimes accidental, but you could say that water is a perfect example of something that represents both nature and technology.
What was the starting point for the presentation and the set, it was really striking.
We have always been fascinated by common objects and showing them in a different context. In past seasons we’ve used the mono-bloc patio chair and ceramic shower trays, and this season it was an office filing cabinet. When we started exploring materials, fabrics and textures that represented the concept of merging the natural with the synthetic, the filing cabinets somehow made sense and became a basic symbol of this concept.
You’re really pushing the presentation as a form, do you prefer this to the catwalk?
We like to create an installation that stands on its own as a piece of work then integrate the boys into it. The whole sensory experience is very important to us. We would really love to do a runway show, but it would never be in a traditional form and it would be interesting to include our presentation elements into this.
How much of each season’s collections are refinement of your aesthetic, how much is reinvention?
It’s probably an equal balance between the two, we are always refining the cut and the finishing of the garments which in turn reinvents the pieces. Each season we understand more about what we like and the reasoning behind it, so it becomes more refined, however, we do like to contradict ourselves quite often and that’s when things become re-invented
The shoes were incredible too, can you tell us a bit about them.
We have been looking a lot chemical protection and future workwear, we found a British based company and have been exploring their archive. We then customised these in-house. We also really loved the volume of the boots, which is why we put them with the more pyjama styles, to exaggerate the silhouette.
How did the Holly Herndon soundtrack come about? How much a part of the show and the clothes does the music become?
We actually lent some pieces to Holly for a recent shoot and started to explore her work deeper. Once we had refined the concept we saw many similarities in her work. After speaking with her and showing her the ideas for autumn/winter 15 she went away and composed the piece with Mat Dryhurst. The sound is a major part of the overall experience and is as important as the clothes and the setting.
Your show has become a kind of unofficial closing for LC:M, is this a deliberate placing for you?
Haha, no not at all but we like it.
Do you like having one foot out of the spotlight too, by not showing within the official sphere of LC:M.
This is the way we have always worked, we wouldn’t know how the official sphere is.
Credits
Text Felix Petty
Photography Christopher Dadey