Selkie at fashion week could only be described in one word- surreal, for a multitude of reasons! Watching your brand grow from concept to reality is an indescribable experience, full of twists and unknown outcomes- good, bad, and sometimes devastating. But you find ways to survive. Selkie has in fact survived (dare we say thrived?) and as we approach the light at the end of a covid tunnel (Get Vaccinated!!) hosting a runway show felt like the perfect first step- a Doc Marten step- out of the internet and into real life. Literally! To see the work exploding into real time, stepping through a stunning park in the middle of New York city (please explore how you can help save Elizabeth St Gardens https://www.elizabethstreetgarden.com) surrounded by beautiful, powerful wxmen feels like a fairytale. You may have noticed by now that fairytales are an important way in which Selkie tells stories. Folklore is at the very core of its inception, a Selkie itself a creature of great myth. So it only felt right that it was Rapunzel who came from the darkness in our “Out of the Tower” Spring collection, as she does in her traditional story, trapped in her tower and waiting for life to begin. Not only does she seem to represent our lives in 2020/21, as covid ravaged our world and violently stole our loved ones, our jobs and our economy, but Rapunzel also represents change in that in the end she is freed. We would come out as a brand at fashion week stomping our feet for this freedom, for change minus the "prince" rescue, (thank you very much!) I also wanted this show to represent the change I’ve personally experienced. After the loss of my first brand, to be able to build back something that was taken from me has been life affirming and explosively powerful! utilising the joyful, delicate, happy colours of my past and present, all pastels, florals, soft beiges, frothy pinks and of course black, the collection came to be told through giant ruffles, floating gowns, vintage bloomers, baggy T shirts, cotton renaissance dresses and mini fairytale puffs. A dreamy, passionate story so feminine it transverses into punk- “Yep. I’m wearing a ball gown out tonight, so what?” We flew in Arianna Davis, a dancer and my muse, she invokes frisson and tears with her dynamic choreography, her dance transitions us on the runway from the tower to our freedom, cutting her hair live on the runway to tell this story of change. We cut our hair in times of change in a move to regain our power. This spiritual disruption bravely invites the new, and even though we are terrified for what may come, we know our lives will and must change! The collection is a salute to female freedom! It is a walking pastel pink flag crying out “Change is coming!”
As a brand we are proud to walk this drumbeat and proud to belong to- even lead the way in this powerful change occurring in the fashion industry.
Sign up for exclusive offers, original stories, events and more.
