TREES strewn with bows of ribbon and neon-bright dried flowers – ah, so pretty. Take a closer look and there are tampons tied up and hanging from the trees too. Ah, so Meadham Kirchhoff. This is a duo – Edward and Benjamin – who embody rebel culture, youth spirit and everything that a melting pot of exhibitionism and fashion nostalgia is. And they do it in a very sincere way – today’s collection opened and closed by feminist blogger Emma Arvida Bystrom with a merry band of models cast from the street. Which goes to prove that their clothes – no matter how rebellious or out there they at times may seem – have more than just catwalk appeal.
The show notes took on fanzine appeal – as did the looks themselves which drew on JPG-style cones, seditionaries’ notes, punk, feminism, attitude, dress-up no holds barred. No doubt there’ll be some fashion editors out there with these pieces looming from the first time round.
Each outfit was like a character – be it a Dick Whittington-style oversized jacket and hat; Transformer-style knit; housewife marigolds. There was bunched shirting and the tulle extravaganzas we see from them time and again; peekaboo knits for the boys and superhero styling for these wild child folk for whom fashion is their ultimate expression. A trip down memory lane, plus a reminder as to why London fashion is what it is.