On the afternoon of my third day at London Fashion Week, on the ground floor of Freemasons Hall, A-Jane‘s AW19 collection “Unterwartet, Ich” focuses on Neue Musik (new music) . A-Jane‘s designer – Alice Jane originally from Malaysia, originally studied music composition in Freiburg. It is exciting for me to see how this has clearly influenced her approach to conceptualising the aesthetic of the collection, but also the presentation, which had a gallery-esqe performance art quality.
Bold stark lines were emphasised by geometric prints and pops of primary colours, matched with graphic eye shadow in coordinating hues. The effect of the models together seemed something like album cover art, the kind of New Wave vinyl you find in a charity shop (and buy despite not having a turntable, because you like the look of it so much.) On closer inspection, what at first seemed minimal gave way to surprise details, masked sometimes by the monochrome matching of accessories. Utility belts, oversized origami-like bags and broad rimmed hats all seemed perfectly in conversation with each other. Strong looks that made a statement whilst being imminently wearable.
My favourite part about this presentation was how it seamlessly transitioned into a sound art performance. One by one, the models (who clearly had a sense of musicality that made me think they were either very cleverly directed, or had some music experience themselves) began to engage with objects and microphones in a way that looked organic, but sounded like it had been thought through. By the end it felt composed.
In taking turns with their ‘instruments’ (i,e. two strips of attached and reattached Velcro) at the microphone, the amplified sound each made, also served to amplify and highlight the look of each model’s clothes. It was a beautiful and subtle effect. As the sounds finally came to a close, I was left with one arresting image, a perfect vivid yellow column dress that days later I know will not soon leave my head.
Words By Paula Varjack
Paula Varjack’s show “The Cult of K*nzo” is currently on a nationwide tour that includes Battersea Arts Centre on Saturday 27 April
https://www.bac.org.uk/content/45293/whats_on/whats_on/shows/cult_of_knzo
Clique with A-Jane;
https://www.instagram.com/ajaneofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/AJanecom/
*All images are sourced from POP PR courtesy of Jaimie Wylie. We are not responsible for the source of the images beyond these entities. Ragged Culture Publishing Ltd does not own these images. All rights reserved.*