Paolo Carzana likes getting lost and there’s no better place to do that than the British Library, where he began his research for the collection.
He took over the library’s music and rare books room, where guest Paul Smith and his family sat at a desk bank with a reading light.
The Welsh designer titled the collection “The Last Pangolin on Earth.” “The reason behind it is the focus on the genius of Mother Earth and the monster of humanity and how we are working and treating the planet,” he said.
Carzana looked at endangered and extinct animals as a source for inspiration. He added that he chose the subject due to being vegan and not wanting to promote the use of animals within fashion, but finding a way to honor their majestic characteristics.
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The clothes were decayed and had lost their saturation as if they had battled a strong sandstorm. The designer used a mordant technique to achieve the faded hues of blue, purple and green. He also worked with seaweed as a natural dye.
Carzana wanted to produce “unnatural colors.” “So much of what is on our Earth is supernatural. There are colors and textures that you can’t believe,” he said.
The designer’s imagination is intriguing, so much so that the British Fashion Council has asked him to create a project based around the power of imagination and inspiration.
Still, it’s hard to imagine how much longer he can craft such poetic and artistic pieces without a strong business proposal. His collections are fit for museums, couture workrooms and period films, but can he break into a fashion system that lives off speed?