The Ed Marler presentation was held a stone’s throw away from the main Brewer Street Car Park show space, but the little world Marler created was in a different universe altogether. In contrast to the fashion peacocks rushing around in front of street style bloggers, Marler’s models paced dolefully through a carpet of dried leaves to an Abba soundtrack slowed to half speed or less, dispensing handfuls of tinsel from crumpled brown paper sacks
“It’s the end of the world and they’re this weird tribe of people,” Marler told i-D, “They’re looking at things they’ve uncovered, like portraits, and they’ve been inspired to try and create that look from things they might have found, so it’s supposed to look kind of all pieced together”.
Putty colored lace pantaloons have bra cups for knee pads, and gowns in black, red and white are made from sections of popper tracksuit. There are sequin trousers and a gingham bustier, worn with leopard print and snakeskin jackets.
Models were street cast and styled by Matthew Josephs and made to look tragi-glam by make-up artist Daniel Sallstrom, who described the look he created as: “Bleach blocked out brows with a destroyed 70s brow and biblical cat eyes with a Cheshire Cat lip”, a look that was enhanced by “18th century alien-punk hair” by Roxane Attard, all topped by Marler’s signature crowns.
Does playing Abba at half speed signify the end of the universe? “Yeah! They’ve found a CD and it’s the only music they have, and it’s kind of distorted, so they sort of worship this music, it’s hymns to them” – hymns for the end of the world.
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Credits
Text Charlotte Gush
Photography Caoimhe Hahn