Fashionable Report by Fred Butler
PHOTOGRAPH BY SHANIQWA JARVIS
Cooperative Designs are a luxury label creating knitwear that you want to completely replace your existing wardrobe with. It’s instantly distinctive in its graphic direction and immediately accessible with its flexible appeal. The duo behind the brand is breaking into the industry with military precision and perceptive patience akin to a mould such as Peter Jensen (where, coincidentally, Coop’s Annalissa once worked). This is their first season showing with the support of iconic Italian knitwear brand Stefanel.
The girls have earned their stripes, previously showing within the New Gen scheme and consulting for Hussein Chalayan. Now they have harnessed those stripes and literally created a collection that is going to become an omnipresent optical illusion for A/W 2010.The nature of “Cooperative Designs” is to tap into the network of skills surrounding them and join forces for a greater good. Today’s presentation had an intimate salon style catwalk showing to best effect hats by Noel Stewart and jewellery by Corrie Williamson. Every angle of how to translate a new range had been locked down in an enviably conceived format. From the angles of the checkboard set by David White to the printed poster invitation keepsake……….I’ll be keeping mine and counting my pennies to invest in these incredible pieces.
