Backstage of the fall/winter 2020 collection
documented by rachel loughrey
The photoshoot for the Fold and Cascade collection took place between the two lockdown periods here in Ireland. We were fortunate to have been able to bring together a small team for a productive day of shooting on location. It was made all the more exciting and rewarding as we had created the collection in isolation, getting together with a creative team to exchange ideas felt so refreshing.
“I don’t care about how people move, but what moves them.”
It was important to us to bring some of our inspirations from the collection into the shoot. Throughout the design and development of the forms in the collection we were very drawn to the late, great Pina Bausch.
She has a strong magnetic pull, from the authenticity and passion with which she treated her craft to the costumes and set design in her shows. She became a major influence on how we thought about the motions of the pieces, we even named the Pina necklace after her. It felt right to bring a little of the spirit of Pina to inspire the process on the shoot. She believed there are many things the body can communicate better than words. There is a wonderful quote where she describes the yearning she felt for movement that comes from somewhere deeply personal. This is something that gives her style the strength of character that continues to inspire people today even after she is gone.
“I don’t care about how people move, but what moves them.”
Pina danced from the heart and expressed something visceral beyond mere beauty but at its core beautiful. Our model Kimely Barros was delighted to take on the challenge and channel this idea. Guided by the sentiment of these words Kimely modelled with a sense of flow, almost dancing, almost completely unaware of anyone watching her. She embraced a personal narrative and a sensuality that carried through the entire day. Gently guided by the wonderful photographer Rachel Loughrey, whose work we admire for their sense of nostalgia and femininity. Through her lens she captures the female form with a sensitivity and reverence for the curves and shadows of the body. This was an important factor as the pieces themselves react to the body, either draping from or curling around to accentuate these features. As the brief for this shoot was to allow Kimely to find her flow and move in a way that felt organic to her, Rachel followed suit. Instead of directing shots she watched for moments to capture and gently guided the process. It was amazing to watch this relationship of trust and flow develop between them as the shoot progressed. Rachel Seemed to catch a wave as they moved through the space, dancing in and out of shadows cast by the monumental walls of the amphitheatre-like courtyard of the student centre building of Cork Institute of Technology.
De Blacam and Meagher’s architectural intervention at the Cork Institute of Technology sought to unify the campus by using geometry which referenced some of the older buildings on the site while also making sense of the landscape of the campus as a whole. The influence of Shane De Blacam’s early experience at the offices of Chamberlin, Powell & Bon, and Louis I. Kahn, can be clearly seen throughout. Proportion and scale are used masterfully alongside an impressive expanse of brick which combine to create surprisingly calming spaces. A vastness of red brick that brings to mind something of a castle with thick walls and slit windows and something of a colosseum, as though a stage set for a performance. It’s quite a magnificent space to experience, almost too large to capture as it wraps around in a giant arc of depths and steps. The red brick walls encircle a large clearing, framing a dome of blue sky above our heads. The clearing within is open and calm with a pleasant liberating atmosphere. The solid façade is interrupted by a series of deep shadows created by hollow window frames in varying sizes scattered around, playing with the scale and proportions in a way that continuously forces the mind to question the eye. Colossal entrances that seem to fit easily into the overall expanse of the building simultaneously seem to dwarf the dark apertures of the low colonnades running along the side wall. This great upright expanse of brick was the perfect antidote to the smooth flowing shapes of the jewellery on Kimely as she reached and swayed, moving to the tune of her own drum. Although this is usually a busy student area with people passing through on their way to lectures, on this morning we had the ‘stage’ all to ourselves.
It was an amazing experience working with Kimely and Rachel bringing all the ideas and intentions together to create a visual atmosphere. We’re grateful to have had an opportunity to collaborate with them on this project.
Collaboration is very important for us as a studio to continue to explore in new ways with artists, photographers, stylists and other creatives. Everyone brings something fresh with a point of view and a way of seeing the collections in a different light so it’s exciting to allow for an injection of new energy at different points of the process.
PS: If you’re ever in Cork city and have a chance to, do check out the Cork Institute of Technology buildings!
