Rachel Freire SS10

I’ve re-written this post maybe 4 times now. How can I write about something when I want to grab  you by the lapels and shout it? The above shoot is a collaborative fashion-meets-art piece between London-based designer Rachel Freir and New York based photographer Aurora Crowley. 

Rachel is another Hackney Wick designer and we’ve recently struck-up a friendship over a mutual appreciation of human hair and animal skulls. Drawn in by her effervescent creative energy, I found myself setting up camp in her studio last weekend as she prepped for Fashion Week. 

I feel privileged to have gained a fly-on-the-Hackney-Wick-wall insight into the whole design process behind fashion week, the super-hyperventilate, sleep deprivation and caffeinated chaos that goes into creating a meticulously executed collection.

I sat back and listened to Rachel as she discussed the colours of her collection, a palette of grey and nudes. I’ve never encountered another designer with such an eye for colour  - this girl has a pantone book brain capable of picking-up the slightest variances in yellow, blue or green tones, something which could have a catastrophic effect on her body of work. If as much as a stitch is out of place she’ll unpick an entire seam and re-sew. She applies an extreme level of OCD perfection to every last detail in her collection.

Despite the pristine perfectionsim she intends the clothing to be wearable. The quality of the construction means it’s super-durbable – “Rachel-proof” in her own words. This appeals to me. I don’t believe in keeping things in tissue paper boxes, neither does Rachel. They really are wearable – I know, I’ve had the pleasure wearing them. I like clothes that give you power, that make you feel a certain way, that change your attitude and outlook and these are warrior garments to make you invincible.

The shoot alone drew a sharp inhalation of breath from me. The garments have been created using reflective fabric which comes alive when the camera flashes. A photgraphic Yin to a fashion Yang, this shoot is one of the most impressive editorials I’ve seen, the ultimate collaboration between two artists with complimentary creative visions.

The photographic technique used is called light painting. None of these images have been photoshopped. This is long exposure photography and the effect you see is what happens when you flash a hand held light in front of the camera when the shutter is left open in a dark room.

In return for helping her over the last few days Rachel has granted me an exclusive with these images which haven’t been published anywhere.

I’ve seen her collection in the making and will be posting from On/Off, 180 The Strand where she will showing her second London Fashion Week collection from 18.09 to 22.09. 

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