At first, it sounded as though Kit Willow said she named her collection “Rewording Nature.” But adjusting for her charming Aussie accent, it turned out she had said “Rewilding.” Interesting—but what did she mean? In a literal sense, she was referring to the conservation approach that helps repair and restore biodiversity. But to see the abstracted, multicolored animal stripes on handwoven hemp was to sense her creative interpretation as well.
Produced in Belgium, this hemp was the foundation fabric for her Resort lineup—and not just because of its soft, linen-like appearance. Willow, whose brand ethos is ethical and sustainable, noted that it requires less water to manufacture, grows quickly, and doesn’t attract insects. The main attraction, a blue workwear jumpsuit—aka the “future suit”—featured pockets sized to hold a water bottle and a reusable coffee cup (empty, obviously). She repeated these pockets on the “global nomad trench” even though it’s hard to imagine women stashing such items in their clothes instead of their bags. With Kitx, it’s the ingenuity that counts.
Elsewhere, buttons in upcycled resin and the sequins made from PET bottles (thanks to the Sustainable Sequin Company) underscored the completeness of Willow’s commitment. If a three-piece suit (in lieu of a vest, a flounced corset top) was the most polished look, she also created a concert tee starring an endangered tiger—playful with serious undertones.
Willow nonetheless makes it a point to keep her messaging to a minimum. “Resort is traditionally about beautiful dresses for all the winter season parties,” she said. A week before the Paris appointment, she posted two photos of herself wearing a powder blue dress featuring hand-tucked tiers of silk chiffon, a gathered waist, and cascading sleeves. She added #dreamdress to one of the captions, and you’d be hard-pressed to disagree.
