Carlota Barrera, winner of the Who Is on Next 2019 prize, returned to the London runway for fall. While the collection followed the lines of her previous proposals, with tailoring and sustainable materials as the common threads, she ventured into new territory with technical garments and a more relaxed aesthetic than usual.
“In fact, this evolution is the result of three factors,” Barrera said from Milan, where she set up her showroom after the London show. “On the one hand, there’s a huge influence from a picture by George Silk of a group of friends sunbathing in the snow in the 1930s. We normally associate après ski with a sporty aesthetic, but I thought it was interesting to link it to this more casual side. On the other hand, we have seen that our customer responds very well to garments that feel more relaxed. Finally, it also responds to a personal need. I still call it tailoring, but I’m in a much more casual moment and I think we all are in that mood in a certain way.”
The results were more rooted than ever in respect for the planet, not only through recycled or deadstock materials, but also through looks that rely on layering as a solution to climate change and consumerism. “Seasons are over. The wardrobe refresh we were used to is now replaced by a couple of warm garments that come and go, so we have played on this lack of seasonality by layering different pieces,” explained Barrera. She took the warm chromatic range of heat maps as inspiration for prints and color play. Cut-outs are still in the formula, but they are much more restrained than on previous occasions.
Additionally, Barrera revives garments from past collections. “Reusing previous designs is a way of demonstrating that we have achieved our purpose: to create a brand whose pieces can pass the test of time and remain appealing.”
