Belching steam across the catwalk, the volcanic eruptions from a hole in Hussein Chalayan’s runway presaged airborne drama. As the wild winds blew, the designer created an extraordinary melange of high- tech protection clothes and layered dresses so light that they rose like racing clouds across the models’ bodies.
The designer referred to his high-tech protective wear as “winter relief components.” They included an eerily glowing hat, designed to emit light in the dark winter; front panels like aprons from the International Space Station on fresh blue-and-white striped dresses; and an electronic hood rising from the nape like a wave.
In this unique work with Swarovski using LEDs (light-emitting diodes), Chalayan based his collection on the four seasons. That produced a beautiful dress expressing the rites of spring, displayed as an abstract film that flickered on the body, as if on a television screen.
Designer: Hussein Chalayan in collaboration with Moritz Waldemeyer
