COTTWEILER AW15: Post-Human
British menswear label COTTWEILER immerses itself in a post-human environment with their AW15 collection. The collection was presented as part of London Collections: Men.
COTTWEILER merged the essence of a man and nature for the collection, which documented an obsession with basic objects and their construction, finding the beautiful and decorative in the synthetic, utilitarian and technical. The natural and the man-made merged to create a world surrounded by contradictory aesthetics.
Garments made of a mix of natural and synthetic fibers were constructed by using traditional weaving techniques, which were highlighted by elements of light, water and reflection. Looks were paired with Respirex chemical protection boots.
Presented at the Alison Jacques Gallery, London two rooms within the space where transformed.
In room one, models appeared atop filing cabinets on a barren landscape of broken slate. In this setting the material construction of each cabinet was symbolic of all that man has created from minerals born of the earth in contrast to the raw rock and stone found in nature. In room two, models presented the collection as they stood in a pool of water at the end of a tunnel, the clear, minimalist, life giving, manufacture enabling elemental features seen in each COTTWEILER presentation.
COTTWEILER’s AW15 presentation was accompanied by a sound installation by American composer, musician, and sound artist Holly Herndon, who uses visual programming to create custom instruments and vocal processes.
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