Duro Olowu rarely needs a specific film or exhibition to explain the jumping-off point for his collections. With his encyclopedic cultural knowledge (and the fact he’s usually out in the world absorbing the buzziest new exhibitions and films anyway—his Instagram is a must-follow, by the way) it all just seems to work its way into his designs by osmosis. There’s also the way he presents his collections in an intimate, salon-style format—either at his studio in St. James’s, or more recently at a friend’s stylish apartment in Chelsea—where he talks through each look to no more than half a dozen editors at a time. His masterful technical abilities and instinctive eye for combining color and print mean you can happily spend most of that time talking about the kick of a pleated trouser or the studied placement of a pocket; even when you get down to the most granular details, Olowu always has plenty to say.
With all that in mind, it was interesting that Olowu had a more panoramic vision this season—one summed up by the phrase “elegant rebellion.” (As one American editor noted, it’s a mantra that feels timely, given the conversations currently taking place around how best to resist the looming shadow of totalitarianism, while also not sinking to its level.) There were a handful of ’70s throwbacks in the swish of those flared trousers and the psychedelic clashes of print—“granny takes a trip,” was another phrase Olowu used, referencing not the famous King’s Road store but instead the idea of an actual grandmother on acid. But the more anarchic twists of hot pink crushed velvets and razzle-dazzle silk brocades and diagonal panels that created an almost kaleidoscopic effect made it all feel thoroughly modern. “So often women feel like they’re being told what to wear, so you have to be a bit rebellious and do things your own way—you have to fuck things up a bit,” Olowu said, before politely excusing his French.
You could trace some of that renegade spirit back to one of Olowu’s key inspirations this season, the self-taught Algerian artist Baya Mahieddine who was brought to Paris at the age of 16 to exhibit her work at Galerie Maeght, and quickly found fans in avant-garde titans like Picasso and André Breton. “When I looked at her work, there’s a fantastical element to it, but when you really look at the women and their expressions, there’s a certain determination there and an individuality,” said Olowu. “That’s really where this idea of ‘elegant rebellion’ originated from.” Listening to Olowu describe his clothes, it can feel like a series of paradoxes—a look might be fantastical but down to earth, boyish but feminine, brash but graceful. Yet somehow, as he did today, he’s always able to resolve these apparent contradictions into something entirely cohesive.
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