“The process is the story and the end product is the process of that story. The end product isn’t created to be consumed, the story creates the end product.”
‘The Politics of Me’, the Autumn / Winter 2014 collection by Matthew Miller, sources inspiration from a body of text compiled by both employed and unemployed creatives, expressing their fears, aspirations and life truths. Subtle and well considered, this offering is a stark contrast to the mass of political slogans expected by the invitation and collection title. Although primarily menswear, Miller combined the two sexes in an androgynous manner, with sharp lines and clean-cut shapes.
A collaboration with Danish fabric experts Kvadrat gave Miller the means to create unusual, textured fabrics – hand-sewn and layered with frayed edges – reminiscent of the raw aesthetic of the punk movement. This, combined with exaggerated zippers and the somber monochrome colour palette, turned the models into a hardened tribe of youthful counterculture, utilising the medium of fashion to make a political statement. Wearable and well thought-out, the collection ascertained Miller’s affinity with shape.
Lorna Slessor
