Gareth Pugh Spring/Summer Ready-to-Wear 2018 Review

Gareth Pugh goes beyond trends. It's modern art. Sure, his silhouettes don't drastically change every season, but this is a good thing. Pugh has established his intense identity with every project he has done and it works in his favor. His audience expects strong, structured shoulders tailored onto sexy pantsuits and belted trenches. Geometric shapes, harsh prints, and feminine flow have defined his work. This season, Pugh presented his collection as a video in collaboration with legendary fashion photographer Nick Knight. The video depicts Pugh himself against philosophical artist Olivier de Sagazan, as they writhe and become intertwined with clay and various natural materials. Just as Pugh's dismal expression of a dark future last season, this season deals with the end of the world. However, Pugh doesn't do what other designers when they interpret the apocalypse. Sure, there's dirt and fire. But Pugh doesn't just put some rips in clothes anymore and call it done. He's ever more sophisticated. There's vibrant red. Like blood, but more unnatural. There's war like structures built onto the heads and shoulders. There's cages that limit the mobility of the wearer, like full body shackles. And then there is Pugh's go-to black. A fade into nothingness. But this time the black is paired with sheets of metal that reflect gold. Nothingness and reflection. With tumultuous political climates across the globe and dangerous threats of nuclear war, perhaps Pugh is beckoning us to think about how the human race is ending the world it inhibits. Look at what we have done to ourselves.