Natasha Zinko took over Soho Square at twilight on Friday night, pitched a few tents, and sent her models down the grassy runway dressed for adventure.
The Ukrainian-born, London-based designer said headline issues — war, the environment, politics, migration — were the drivers behind this wacky, energetic spring collection.
“We are a people who are on the go. I wanted to capture that idea, and to give these world travelers everything they need,” said the designer. She was speaking from under the low-hanging branches of a pine tree following the show, which put a smile on the faces of everyone from models to front-row guests.
Models stormed across the parched, late summer grass dressed in ground-sweeping cargo-motorcycle hybrid pants with XXL patch pockets.
They wore platform sneakers, high, floppy kitten heel boots with quilting and pockets; carried backpacks; while little flashlights and tin cups jangled around their waists.
One model wore an olive green dress with a long, billowy skirt that resembled a tent, a style Zinko modeled on an 18th century French gown.
The designer deconstructed men’s white underwear, cutting and twisting it around the body, turning it into knitwear with buttons dotted here and there, or patching bits of it together to form long trains on breezy dresses.
Zinko worked forest and tree prints into skinnier silhouettes such as body-hugging dresses with hoods or stretchy leggings.
It was fun, and certainly not for the faint of heart, but that’s Zinko’s style. This is a designer who barrels ahead wearing sturdy, chunky-soled platforms and who doesn’t mind living with a few twigs in her curly red hair.
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