Naomi Hart ‘Unproductive Thinking’ | London Fashion Week AW25
Words by Molly Boniface, Photograph by Katie Mcgoran
Contrasting fabrics, cartoonish silhouettes and a cacophony of space-age futurism mixed with heady nostalgia live at the centre of Naomi Hart’s AW25 Collection: Unproductive Thinking. The show is named after the 7th track on surrealist filmmaker and composer David Lynch’s album ‘Crazy Clown Time’. Unproductive Thinking borrows from its namesake’s themes of cosmic awareness and Transcendentalism. Musician Freya Everest curated the show’s soundtrack combining Unproductive Thinking with Al Bowlly's 1934 track Midnight, the Stars and You which is instantly unsettling due to the song’s affiliation with Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Lynch, who died in January of this year was renowned for portraying the latent and unnerving absurdity distilled into small town surrealism. Hart grew up in the Peak district surrounded by nature which informs her seemingly instinctive sense of organic shapes and textures. The collection is rooted in Hart’s rural upbringing and her life-long love of motorcycles. At the same time, audience members witnessed glimpses of the somewhat-frightening surrealism which seeps from events like London Fashion Week as they're brought to the fore with excellent tact in the designer’s debut show.
1960s silhouettes dominate the runway. Playfully curved sunglasses with blackout lenses set in fat white plastic accompany a tight-fitting, high-neck hooded jacket in cornflower blue and charcoal. Stuffed neoprene bustles just below the waist create the illusion of a dramatic hourglass shape. On the bottom half, low rise suit trousers with an exaggerated inseam made of contrasting pinstripe and plain black fabrics mirror the curvature above the waist. Chalky lilac eyeshadow, spidery mascara, and a classic red lip courtesy of MUA Nicky Ruisch tie the pastel and metallic colour palette together and compliment the nod to André Courrèges’ ‘Moon Girl’ that runs throughout the show. Marbled leather is used consistently throughout the collection, a homage to Hart’s biker days. We saw a striking two-piece created with panels of crimson and merlot leather arranged in the same signature curvature as the rest of the collection. However, the deep colour palette and rigid buttery material suggest a departure from the childlike pastels and 1960s optimism towards a more contemporary and foreboding sensuality. The range is complete with standout pieces; a quilted scarlet taffeta coat gathered below the waist and vertical striped monochrome trousers reminiscent of Bridget Riley’s pop-art paintings.
Unproductive Thinking reminds us that more than one thing can be true at once: dreams and reality, the past and the future, taffeta and leather. Opposites can and should coexist in the same environment. Paying homage to the youthful rebellion of 1960s counterculture with some undeniably dark and foreboding undertones, this collection is a call to action for us to embrace Hart’s core values of championing individuality, empowerment, and allowing one's attitude to be seen, felt, and celebrated.
Photographs via Naomi Hart/ I.DEA PR by ROSSLYN PHOTOGRAPHY