September 19th, 2007, London – Royal Academy of Arts – Fashion show On/Off presentation ‘Spring/Summer 08 collection’
SHE GAVE TO ME THE IMPRESSION OF BEING BORN JUST BEFORE WE MET HER
There are those few people in life that can be considered as having the butterfly effect and with those that do, sometimes the resulting wind can continue for generations. The life of Edie Sedgwick was a whirlwind. The combination of her gamine beauty with a nonchalant attitude intrigued many, and continues to do so. She lived a life uncontrolled by boundary and convention. Spijkers en Spijkers Spring Summer collection is the embodiment of this spirit.
Ten years after Edie’s enrapturing reign over the Big Apple, the Memphis design collective was formed in Milan. Overturning minimalist ideals of the seventies, the Memphis movement found solace in the fusion of pattern and colour, and faith in the notion that through experimentation, everything could find a match in their world. The key belief was to take the chance to unabashedly enjoy the consequences, finding beauty in living without fear.
For both Edie and the Memphis movement an outwardly naïve appearance was in fact an intentionally direct and intimate reaction to a restrictive surrounding.
For SS08, Spijkers en Spijkers have adopted a new revolution to their traditional design concept, ‘form follows function’, into ‘fun follows function’. Spijkers’ signature cuts have evolved to adopt the concurrence of clashing pastel shades with block primaries, and monochromatic stripes with coloured leopard print.
Clean H-shapes and large spring pleats are executed in silk dupion, georgette and satin, along with double wrap organza and bamboo. Silk lurex contributes a bold sparkle for a daring and bold effect, hand-made Memphis style applications reiterate Spijkers’ eye for detail, craftsmanship and authenticity.