Helen Anthony’s SS22 collection was a celebration of selfhood
“We aim to be different, strive to be bold, and stand proud.”
DESIGNER: HELEN ANTHONY
SEASON: Spring/Summer 2022
EVENT: London Fashion Week
LOCATION: The Grand, Trafalgar Square.
Helen Anthony’s mantras have always rang a resounding war cry amidst the collective consciousness of today, and looking up underneath the sweeping high ceilings and crystal chandeliers Trafalgar Square’s The Grand, it was clear that this was a setting suitable only for such a statement. As seats filled, white walls were set alight with colour, neon greens and bright blue bird feathers suddenly as common as a briefcase on the Waterloo and City line on a weekday morning. The space became a celebration of selfhood; a collective anticipation of what was to come.
Named after creative mind Naeem Anthony and his great grandmother Helen Thomas, Helen Anthony has become known not just for its tailoring oozing with culture and finesse, but also its emphasis on the importance of diversity, dynamism and detail. It was obvious that the majesty of the architecture had been chosen to match the significance of the essence to fill it. Voices fell to a low thrum. Lights dimmed…
With the music a pulse marking the room’s collective heartbeat, a child and woman took to the runway holding hands. Both wore matching, ethereal-white tiered dresses, differentiated by a pair of tinted sunglasses even Elton John would be envious of. Think virginal purity meets ‘70s disco, and an establishment of the ageing process breaking down the construct of age itself. As the show went on, flowing fabric made way for structured tailoring, and white bloomed into bright, block-coloured hues of yellow, purple and red. Anthony utilised layers to create texture and contrast; three piece, cut-out co-ords offering a gritty twist on the stoic timelessness of Savile Row, whilst blood red, leather leotards tantalised underneath muted floor-length trench coats. Patterns were also used as a frequent, vivid accent, whilst sheer, barely-there lace slip dresses offered intimate interludes to the previous architectural integrity.
On one hand, Anthony’s collection was a romantic, seductive story, the audience a voyeur to the slow, stripped back celebration of the human form. On the other, it was a protest; a breakdown of the binaries that shackle us day-to-day. The runway broke down selfhood to reform a collective self, with masculine and feminine, child and adult, formal and intimate all dissolved to accent the essence of human as one, overarching entity. Punchy and emotive, powerful and considered, sassy yet subtle, Naeem Anthony’s voice rang crystal clear long after the lights came on. It was jubilant.
Images courtesy of Getty.
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