Lupe Gajardo released her 2021.1 collection at London Fashion Week, which embraced “the new way of living.” Like the majority of other shows, the collection was presented digitally due to the pandemic.
Gajardo adapted to the changes of what the pandemic has produced by releasing her first ready-to-wear collection. Her collection has loose, symmetrical, as well as asymmetrical silhouettes. The colour palette in this collection has soft shades of colours and bright pops of hues like fuchsia and orange. This collection reminds us that we can remain stylish while in the comfort of our own homes.
Not long ago, Menswear brand Labrum London launched their 2021 autumn-winter collection named St. Giles Blackbirds. The collection pays tribute to the black community that settled in London’s St. Giles area, which was full of soldiers, sailors, and former slaves.
The inspiration for the collection is Olaudah Equiano, a man who fought to abolish slavery. The collection itself utilised traditional West African fashion. For instance, the trench coat was a tribute to Equiano’s style. Moreover, the collection displayed loose-fitting tailored garments with voluminous statement ruffles with blue, beige and a pop of bright yellows.
Labrum London continued to be aware of the production wastage by having 70% of their collection made up of deadstock fabric and factory surplus from the previous seasons. They used durable materials to expand the longevity of their garments. The accessories were made up of 80% upcycled materials.
Ahluwalia, a fashion label by Priya Ahluwalia, presented a short film in collaboration with musician Cktrl for her collection Traces. Priya Ahluwalia is an LVMH prize finalist and fashion award winner who launched her menswear brand in 2018. Her collection Traces explores the Harlem Renaissance by combining elements between the era, her London roots, and upcycling journeys. The collection absorbs a dark colour palette with diverging quaking colours. It debuts her new emblem, which symbolises“a compass-like insignia made out of four afro-combs pointing to each of the four corners of the world.”
Bianca Saunders, currently part of the BFC’s NEWGEN programme, presented her 2021 menswear autumn-winter collection titled Superimposed. Saunders experimented and pushed the boundaries of traditional tailoring with this collection. Whilst she worked on her collection, she drew inspiration from the photography of Man Ray, “I felt that his work really linked to what I do, this idea of using bodies as sculptures, and seeing how clothes move within the context of a body’s movement,” she said. Saunders also took inspiration from Erwin Wurn’s photography of stretched fabric. The fashion film itself was inspired by Blood of the poet, an experimental film by Jean Cocteau. This collection is Saunders’ yet most innovative as she explored varying cuts, fabric manipulation, and print.
Talking about the collection Saunders said: “I just wanted to create a collection that will make people feel good about themselves when they wear it.”
Just recently, Jamie Wei Huang displayed her autumn-winter 2021 collection Detour at London Fashion Week. The designer was inspired by the song ‘Hotel California’ by the rock band The Eagles. In this collection, Wei Huang explores the journey to a persons’ destination, looking at failures and successes.
The collection itself is playful and vibrant; it combines diverse materials to create garments with various combinations of colours, textures, and materials.
Edward Crutchley, a London based designer, released his autumn-winter 2021 collection called Florizel. Crutchley’s collection pays homage to the north of England. “I wanted to pay homage to that sort of gritty glamour you only find up north,” adds Crutchley. Crutchley is another designer who is committed to being environmentally sustainable in his practices. He uses materials such as organic silk and recycled polyester. Some of the knitwear we see, such as the cardigan stitch pullover, ribbed bandannas and cashmere beanies, are by Johnsons of Elgin. Talking about knitwear for the collection Crutchley said it was “washed in water from the River Teviot, which contains the perfect blend of natural pH and mineral content for the softest natural finishing.”
With the north of England being such a key influence on the collection, one of the key elements that influenced the colour pallet is the northern landscapes containing muted, dull-like colours. Crutchley utilised muted colours with juxtaposed prints such as plumage of ostrich feathers, foliage, and Fresco’s temple found in China.
With every Wild Pink album, frontman John Ross has been steadily expanding the project’s sound and vision. As early as their 2017 self-titled debut, fans and critics alike were comfortable situating them somewhere between the road-trip-ready Americana of the War on Drugs and the introspective indie rock of Death Cab for Cutie. That the Brooklyn band continues to probe that intersection without sounding derivative or repeating the same ideas is an achievement on its own, but what’s more impressive – especially on A Billion Little Lights, which was recorded with producer David Greenbaum and incorporates more layers of bright, glossy synths to match Ross’ ambition – is how their work deftly balances not just the sounds but also the grandeur of heartland synth-rock with the sensitivity and warmth of late 2000s indie. Their new album is their most cohesive and inviting effort to date, reaching for the kind of sweeping arrangements that also render it their most rewarding.
Refreshingly, the band’s decision to broaden their horizons on A Billion Little Lights feels like more than just a default artistic move. Inspired by Carl Sagan’s Cosmos among various other works that he’s gracious enough to reference in his lyrics, Ross uses the album’s sprawling aesthetic as a canvas through which to grapple with the infinite expanse of the universe and his own place in it. On the soaring lead single ‘The Shining But Tropical’, we find him in the San Francisco Bay, “where from way up high, the coast is a crisp line/ And all the microscopic life, like a billion little lights/ Become a single living thing.” He tries to hold on to that memory without letting it become tinted by his own insecurities: “I want to remember every single thing/ Just not who I used to be.” Later, on the stunning ‘Pacific City’, he revisits that sentiment in a more reflective light: “Every little thing that I worried about/ Was a penance I tried to pay/ For every little thing about myself I couldn’t change.” As he segues into the pre-chorus, singing of how he “learned about time/ To make hay while the sun shined,” the guitar diffuses into a soft glow before a gorgeous saxophone seeps into the mix.
Ross’ voice may not carry the distinct flavour of an Adam Granduciel or the dramatic propensity of a Brandon Flowers, but its amiable qualities make for a fitting accompaniment to the music and the themes that permeate it. Though sometimes the hyperspecificity and emotional candour (and humour) of his writing can get lost in the haze, you feel beside him even when the vastness of the instrumental threatens to overshadow his presence. But especially when he turns his focus on relationships, his gentle delivery infuses each melody with a sense of intimacy that, more often than not, is appropriate for the mood. His hopeful affirmations often seem to extend to the listener without feeling inept or generic, like when he repeats “I got your back” on opener ‘The Wind Was Like a Train’ (which continues the Wild Pink tradition of apt song titles) or “You want peace, you want love/ You deserve that much” on ‘The Shining But Tropical’. But some of the album’s most striking moments arrive when he’s accompanied by Ratboys singer Julia Steiner, who contributes lilting vocal harmonies on tracks like the deceptively upbeat ‘You Can Have It Back’ or the wondrous ‘Family Friends’.
Wild Pink’s last album, Yolk in the Fur, ended with Ross repeating the line “I hope we find peace,” before declaring, “I don’t know what happens next.” It’s tempting to assume he’s found at least some of that on A Billion Little Lights, but the album doesn’t really lend itself to any particular reading; it’s open-ended by nature, and Ross combines the project’s grand ambitions with lyrics that are either about or take place in a dream or a hazy memory. Because it straddles the line between fantasy and nostalgia, the result is something that feels both familiar and out of reach, as if chasing a vision that’s yet to fully materialize. When it does, one can only hope it’s captured in the same magical splendour that this album naturally exudes.
Jonatan Leandoer, better now known as Yung Lean, had relatively a normal teenage life playing videos and listening to rap music. He didn’t have many friends, but he had his computer and alter ego: Yung Lean, a moniker under which he portrayed a ruthless and terrifying rap star.
After a highly successful rise that catapulted him to stardom and helped his music reach superstars like Justin Bieber and Travis Scott, Jonatan began to fade. His alias took over.
Henrik Burman’s Yung Lean: In My Head is a gripping generational tale depicting a young boy’s passage into adulthood and his journey with drugs, death, mental illness, and overcoming adversity.
Set in Victorian London, The Irregulars follows a gang of troubled street teens who are manipulated into solving crimes for the sinister Doctor Watson and his business partner, the obscure Sherlock Holmes. As the crimes take on a paranormal aspect and dark energy emerges, it is up to the Irregulars to come together to preserve not only the city of London but also the entire world at large.
Netflix’s new series, The Irregulars, is another excellent addition to their eclectic catalogue. The series will stream on Netflix from the 26th of March.
Netflix is currently trading at US$535.41 on the NASDAQ.
Watch the teaser trailer for The Irregulars below.
Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this segment.
Last Friday was a packed release day, but there are still a few individual tracks worth checking out. Before dropping their full album on Friday, Wild Pink shared what might be its best single, ‘Pacific City’; Danish post-punk outfit Iceage announced their next album with the menacing yet oddly danceable ‘Vendetta’; Porridge Radio unveiled the deluxe edition of Every Bad, featuring two wonderfully off-kilter collaborations with Piglet; The Internet co-founder Syd released her first solo material in over three years with the mesmerizing ‘Missing Out’; serpentwithfeet continues to celebrate black queer love with his latest single, the mellow yet infectious ‘Same Size Shoe’; Paris Texas, the LA hip-hop duo of Louie Pastel and Felix, marked their debut with the hard-hitting ‘HEAVY METAL’; and finally, Bill Callahan and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy enlisted Cassie Berman and a host of other artists they’ve collaborated with so far in their cover series for a very special rendition of Silver Jews’ ‘The Wild Kindness’.
