Vin and Omi Pioneers a New Eco Religion
Last night at the St. Pancras under the iconic wrought-iron and glass ceiling of the Victorian train station, eco design duo Vim and Omi staged the brand’s largest collection with 70 looks and launched the Bin 2 Body project in collaboration with London College of Fashion. Passengers coming off of the Eurostar train looked on with curiosity as models, both street cast and professionals, strutted around the Grand Terrace of St. Pancras International wearing a collection inspired by a mixture of underground movements including punk, Nineties Club Kids, Mexican and Harlem subcultures.
“We wanted really bright clothes, really bold silhouettes and it’s really in your face to provoke thought,” Vin told WWD after the show.
Emblazoned on rubber pinafores, elongated tank tops, one-piece swimming costumes, oversized tack bottoms and deconstructed dresses were poodle and pentagram motifs, as well as the slogan Fake News. Vin and Omi have deftly made a stance for a new approach to fashion since the brand started. And this season, the pair has made perhaps their strongest statement yet, championing a new kind of religion — an eco one — where intelligence (poodles are among the smartest animals), respect for the earth (the pentagram is a pagan symbol for the five elements) and responding to environmental and political issues with immediacy were key aspects of its codified beliefs.
“We really wanted to talk about a new religion because I think people just stopped thinking and we wanted to encourage it again,” explained Vin. “We wanted people to start thinking about their own actions and we’re using this collection to provoke thought.”
Vin and Omi brought a younger verve to their brand with a clubbier vibe without losing their message about sustainability. There were gorgeous eco latex dresses made from a rubber plantation in Malaysia, vegan leather bustiers paired with printed pencil skirts, neo baby-doll dresses and quilted bomber jackets with pleather detailing. Also striking were the bags and accessories, which were made in partnership with London College of Fashion. The Bin 2 Body project started during the men’s shows in June when students collected plastic bottles from the BFC Showspace and turned them into durable textiles. This season saw the fruition of their efforts in a series of bespoke bags, some resembling actual bin liners, and necklaces spelling out “Think.”
Shoes that were meant for the landfill were turned into hybrids whereby old trainers were mounted on the base of other shoes or tops of bags, giving the collection a sense of playfulness and wit.
More on London Fashion Week SS19:
Anya Hindmarch Urges Public to Chill During London Fashion Week
Victoria Beckham Set to Light Up Piccadilly Circus at LFW
JW Anderson Goes Back To Traditional Feminine Territory
Alexa Chung Transformed Her Show Venue Into an Airport Lounge
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