Florence Pugh opened Harris Reed’s fall 2025 show at the Tate Britain in a sheer “Maleficent”-like dress with horns protruding the bodice.
“Be determined, be fearless and always be too f–king much,” she told the audience as she walked around an ink-blue sculpture resembling a sea urchin.
The British American designer toned down his usual palette of jewel tones to focus on black and gold with flecks of red, green or blue in the embroidery details of some pieces.
Reed used the words “fragility” and “anger” to describe the collection.
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“The world is in a tough spot right now and especially the creative [spaces]. So for me, I really used that as fuel to come out with pieces that were really about putting the internal on the external,” he said.
The designer worked with British lighting and furniture brand Porta Romana on the collection, for which it 3D printed the spiked fronds of a sea urchin in a flexible resin.
Reed’s designs were minimal with points of exaggeration — a gigantic wrap-around hoop skirt with a bralette that had antennas; a tailored bomber jacket with cutouts at the breast revealing little embroidered flowers, and a perfectly constructed cage dress that was a highlight of an uneven collection.
“[The sea urchins] are almost like bodies of armor that say, ‘Stay away from me,’ but at the same time making something that our clients can buy and that we hope to see on red carpets. I wanted to have a punk moment,” the designer said.
Perhaps the sea urchins were Reed’s interpretation of a mohawk. He’s certainly not afraid to play with new ideas, especially as a small independent business.
“[The darker element of the show came from] running a business in London, trying to grow and to constantly create and think of new ideas. I’m trying to think outside of the box,” he said.