Returning to show in Milan for fall, Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück expanded on what they term their “high-end remake” approach to fashion. As they work with materials in limited supply, vintage and deadstock, these Swedish designers have evolved methods of taking things apart and reconfiguring them in a sort of jigsaw manner. This season they had been reflecting on writer/philosopher Mark Fisher’s take on the concept of “hauntology”—about “how it’s getting harder and harder to picture a future free from the past” said Schück on a call—and thinking about how it relates to their practice of “bringing old things together… but making them into something new, but which will always be haunted [by the past/nostalgia]” and finding ways to expand on their techniques in a way that let some air in.
They did so by separating fragments of fabric with strips of sheer organza (look 21) or suspending them on it (look 37). Mesh was used in a similar manner. The skirt in the second look is essentially a see-through panel framed at the bottom with a band of kilt pleating and at the waist with three scissor-handed layers of plaid. “It’s almost like we want it to feel that it’s torn down into nothing basically,” Schück said. “And we want to embrace the contrast between this quite raw and quite heavy or dry material and something else; and also just maybe showing a bit more skin,” Bergqvist added. The effect was dulled here by the choice to layer the mostly-sheer skirt over scrappy, raw-edged leggings made using donated materials from the designers’ compatriots at Happy Socks. Look 28, a satin and lace asymmetrical slip dress worn with patched plaid leggings hit the right balance.
The choice to show the collection on street-cast models of different ages and shapes was a smart one that demonstrated how wearable Rave Review clothes can be. The designers’ take on the season’s asymmetric seamed mini, in denim and paired with a faux fur animalier print top, was spot on, and there were several reversible outerwear options including a duvet coat with a weatherproof lining. On the surface, this collection looked familiar, but the winds of change were blowing through those sheer panels. There is much potential for further exploration of this idea. A lightening- and tightening-up of the collection could take it in a more “adult” direction without sacrificing sexiness or fun, as was evidenced by looks 23 and 24, which incorporated drawstrings to created a slight (airy) bubble effect and maintain the brand’s signatures with a cleaner, fresher silhouette.
