On Wednesday evening Lyall Hakaraia invited me to the launch of his AW collection, which was structured in a totally new arrangement to anything Ive experienced before. A small gathering of guests congregated in the magnificent MC Motors location lit with old road-side signage and glinting candles. We sat down to dinner at a table laid with luscious flowers and pieces from the collection displayed on the surrounding antiques. After a two course Moroccan feast courtesy of Elaine's 'A little of what you fancy' we were handed a flute of champagne and ushered through to an adjacent dark space for the presentation. A dance performance took place with a model moving and contorting suspended above white light gliding like a bed of a photocopier from a screen tilted from the floor . With each twist and turn, she pealed off a layer of the collection to reveal another underneath. In this way, the choreography formed a physical narrative to explain the components for the viewers to understand the intricacies of the harness, cuffs, corset and body stocking. Lyall used leather, mesh, plastic and hide in nude tones to incapsulate shades of 'cold flesh' and 'dried blood'. Alchemy and elemental natural forces inspired the theme of tensioned power for both the collection and the final live presentation. Each separate piece has been designed to highlight hollows of the body at the throat, wrist and waist, adding to the idea of playing with movement.
The precision organisation of this multi-faceted, experimental experience was equal to the exceptional attention to detail in the construction of the clothes. The whole thing was a sensory overload which instilled the perfect setting for the tactile body-mapping collection. Lyall's execution of this edgy event was such a refreshing and accomplished feat that I hope it triggers an innovative format for others to follow.......
To tie-in with the launch event, Lyall has also compiled a website with the back catalogue of his comission work such as couture corsets and gowns for clients including Lady Gaga, Maddonna, Paloma Faith, Roisin Murphy and most recently Jessie J. Click here to see more........
The Alchemist from GlassmatesTV on Vimeo.
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