As a half-Welshman, I’m very aware of the country’s limited interface with the world of fashion. I mean shout out Julien Macdonald, OBE, but it’s rare you’ll see Wales as a reference point in the same way much of Scotland or Northern England’s heritage is used. So, it comes with great joy to see Helmut Lang’s latest campaign, for their womenswear autumn/winter 18 collection, presented on “The Women of Wales”.
Shot by Alexandra Leese, with casting and styling by Charlotte James, and videos by Luke Casey, the campaign tells both an authentic story of a country often overlooked in contemporary culture, and continues the brand’s ongoing message of subversion.
Starring in the images and video there’s Dilys, an 86-year-old Welsh woman who also just happens to be the world record holder for oldest woman skydiver. There’s the heartening story of Puleng, a 66-year-old Welsh woman, originally from South Africa, who met her husband back in the 1970s while nursing in London. After losing touch when she returned to South Africa during the apartheid, the pair reunited six years ago and moved to Merthyr, Wales together (why am I crying in the club?). And then there’s Margaret, retired funeral director and grandmother to Charlotte, bringing the campaign full circle.
Good stuff.