Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi, one of several double-headed design labels in London, have good antennae; their Preen collection always manages to tune into the prevailing trends without losing its streetwear-inspired authenticity. For spring, the duo reconfigured used leather bomber jackets and cotton T-shirt materials into a body-conscious, lingerie-influenced collection that retained a gritty urban edge.
Preen worked puffy, asymmetric pieces of second-hand leather into jackets, jumpsuits, and outsize shoulderbags, and embellished with stretch beige foundation garments, garter belts, and falling-down bra straps. Vestiges of former garments, like the ribbed cotton welts of eighties blousons, or a trompe-l’oeil leather stocking-top, added an extra element of intrigue to the mix. Thornton and Bregazzi said they had been inspired by “glam-rock, David Bowie, and comic-strip superheroes,” and the resulting look—though it marches alongside that of Helmut Lang and Rick Owens—has a distinctive swagger all its own.
