Poet Lab SS27
‘Remember’
Writer: Evie Summers
Images By: Marcus Hartelt
We come to Poet Lab time and time again for the innovative and the unusual. A brand poses the avant-garde up against the norms of contemporary streetwear. Their collection and wider ethos as a brand display an admirable commitment to diversity in casting and clothing.
On day 2 of London Fashion Week day 2, we saw a recommencement in this creative entanglement with the brand's SS27 collection 'REMEMBER'. And as much as I love Poet Lab, I have to admit this spring/ summer show didn't sing so unambiguously as the last for me.
There were some incredibly strong pieces from the show, and the overall concept, the playful use of movement and the experimentation, I found to be an interesting direction from the designer. It felt certainly promising. That said, I felt a few pieces lacked the finesse I'd come to treasure and expect.
The collection revolved around a question from the artist: ‘what happens to identity once a person stops carrying their past forward?’ For Creative Director Giuseppe Iaciofano, reflecting on what it means to hold a shifting and developing identity drew him back to Albania. Taking inspiration from its brutalist monuments like the Pyramid of Tirana, Albanians rugged landscape, and the beauty of its sweeping rolling mountains; this complex and diverse terrain influenced much of the show's work.
Albiana is understood in part through the lens of Albanian model Elton Ilirjani. And I think both subjects are paid with an equal reverence from concept to design. This has always been a human centered brand, looking to dismantle and challenge an industry where often people are asked to conform to the aesthetic, not for the aesthetic to build to suit them.
That love for Albania, its traditions and landscape in tandem, is present in the collection and really holds up in some of the choices. Particularly, I feel, one piece that features a clean white skirt, a hair-touched jacket, which is styled with the model's hair rising in the visage of great roots or even the antlers of a deer; this is a motif that appears a few times, and I find to be genuinely very effective. It's striking and intriguing, conjuring a kind of mystique and is deeply evocative of rural folk tales of the region.
Similarly, I think it does a great job of referencing the contrast between communist brutalism and the vibrancy of Albanian culture- it is managing to hold this complex history simultaneously with its fun and adapting future, reflecting on the identity of a whole nation. The use of black, white and silver, though not uncommon in the brand's work, does feel fresh here; I'm thinking in particular with its use of pompom-esque materials. It's fun, buoyant and hopeful while still echoing that familiar grey essence of a city landscape.
These are elements that this collection really hits.
This is an intentional brand that doesn't escape me, and I do believe a lot of style and finishing decisions that perhaps I disagree with personally are used emblematically for a specific theme. I find that admirable; fashion is art, and art is symbolic. Clothing is more than an aesthetic; it's more than what is passingly pleasing to the eye. I love a collection that can act as both allegory and adornment, and I commend the brand for its commitment to making work that is symbolically profound and relevant.
It just felt that, for some, the balance between internal conceptual dialogue and outward appearance was slightly off.
Some outfits that came down the catwalk I found myself simply distracted by rather than compelled, and as much as I make room for discussion and reassessment, I can't discount that initial reaction. Some elements and looks felt, even on reflection, just slightly shy of fully realised.
It's hard because this is a brand and designer I find so deeply likeable. His brand, his ethos and by far the vast majority of his work (this collection included), I have nothing but love for.
Knowing from last season how the calibre of clothing that has been produced, it pains me to say that I just felt some pieces let the show down a little.
I would, however, like to highlight what I loved this time around because there was still a great deal. A mesh floral slinky dress scattered with pre-sewn white bows felt perfectly executed, along with a look featuring a teddy-bear brown oversized vest laid just so symmetrically over a plain black skirt featuring flounces of lace peeking from the sides. Both of these felt like the familiar competence of Poet Lab. The best for me, though, showed a sheer black laced, form-fitting gown with an almost jersey plush jacket draped over it. In this piece, that clash between wearability and audacity is perfectly navigated; it's sultry and edging on taboo but so beautiful, grounded but the casualty of the jacket.
Overall, this felt like an experiment, a trial of some new approaches, some of which landed, some of which may need more time. Ultimately, it has not changed my view of this brand or its designer; I have as much confidence in their vision as ever, and I'm hopeful to see some of these fledgling divergences explored further.
