The opening up of practical and philosophical discussions about the hows and the whys of fashion has been easily the most important industry byproduct in the era of COVID-19. Roland Mouret, who’s been talking about sustainability for a long time, observes, “People have been talking about this ‘slowing down’ for years. Now we’re here. The pace, the waste—it’s been like an addiction. Now, it’s rehab.”
What his fashion is for he’s as certain about as when he began. Doing his look book shoot—in his Mount Street atelier with his house model and a photographer, all safely distanced—reaffirms it: “Something that makes you want to jump and smile! I wanted to reference what I love about fashion. It reminded me of Bill King covers, and the ’80s. The strength of that joy, the power of color. It was so enjoyable, being back and feeling creative and energetic again, and with only four of us together in a room.”
Holding onto that sense of glamour in reduced circumstances, he canceled the production of his fall 2020 collection, regrouping to produce this capsule as the first in a series of delivery drops, which looks to be his plan henceforth. “I always had the feeling I should cut the numbers, anyway.”
Staying in sync with the shifting psychology of what makes women want to buy is something Mouret has practiced since the start—but what now, for a designer of cocktail, event, and professional-wear, when social gatherings and work are both suddenly clustered around Zoom calls? “Ha! It’s evolving into this anchorwoman mentality,” he laughs. “Tops! Could even be full-gala on the top-half and, well, anything on the bottom.” On his Instagram account, he’s run a masterclass draping video showing women how to create a halter-neck top with
two scarves and a couple of Judy Blame pins—which is more or less how he started making his own designs in the first place. “In the ’80s you did it yourself!”
