SS 11/12
Gangs, garlands, death and creation: for their SS 10 range, Company of Strangers have found inspiration in the vibrancy and violence of Mexico and the work of the country’s most iconic daughter, Frida Kahlo.
As has become a signature for the label, this theme is woven through the collection in a subtle way, with designer Sara Aspinall deftly using colour, texture and shape to explore the cryptic but undeniable links between the beautiful and the macabre.
Floaty hemlines, sheer paneling and body skimming shapes perhaps make this Aspinall's most feminine collection to date, but she still manages to sneak in sense of androgyny through oversize cuts, masculine jackets and subversive details. Playful pieces like the diaphanous Harness sheath and Dream shirt dress are given a bondage twist with bra-strap fastenings and lace rope, while both the Diego and Shuffle pants have a relaxed, boyish cut that hints at having been appropriated from a lover's wardrobe.
Fabrics like silk Georgette, crepe and Victorian-style lace give the collection a sense of lightness and ephemerality but this is toughened up with leather, batik denim and sweat-shirting. Mourning black and virginal whites form the base of the colour palette and allow sugarskull hues of watermelon, punchy orange and daffodil yellow to pop.
Stand-out pieces from the range include the Self-Portrait Dress, an A-line smock with clever paneling that forms a heart shape over the chest, and the dramatic Embrace vest, which wraps around the body almost like passionate clinch.
Aspinall's re-worked leather pieces have gained a huge following both locally and abroad and this season she has raised the bar even higher through her collaboration with artist and fellow Dunedin resident, Jay Hutchinson. Holding a Masters degree from the Dunedin School of Fine arts, Hutchinson runs the self explanatory A Gallery and is recognised for his pop-culture inspired work with hand-embroidery.
For this collection, he and Aspinall looked into the history of leather in gang culture and together designed a unique Company of Strangers insignia that has been embossed on bondage-style leather back packs, coin purses and double layered sleeve bags with old-school claps closures.
Depicting a crest flanked by two winged griffins with sugarskull heads, the CoS “patch” also appears on cropped sweatshirts and as a hand-embroidered back panel on the stunning Cut-Out cropped jacket.
The collections is complemented with jewellery by long-time Company of Strangers collaborator, Underground Sundae. Designer Anne Meike Ytsma looked to Victorian mourning jewellery and Kahlo's “Naive Folk” style in crafting the range, which features heavy crucifix rings, mismatched earrings of cut glass beads and pearls, charm bracelets bearing motifs of mother and gilded frame pendants. One of Ytsma's most covetable creations is a weighty seed pearl signet ring that functions as a stamp when dipped in ink or wax.