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It is at the famous Victoria & Albert Museum that Gareth Pugh celebrates his return to London after 7 years of shows in Paris. The occasion also marks 10 years of the fashion house, and so is a certain return to his roots for the designer, reflected in this collection which mixes love and war. The show boldly begins with a film by Ruth Hogben featuring Aymeline Valade in a certain act of freedom… The girls advance with pride, with the red cross of St George on their heads, coats and black jackets with high collars which trail into capes, worn with long skirts. Corsets are worn as tops, with these protective clothes playing the role of armour faced with the outside world. We see again puffer jackets, memorable because of their volume, and Gareth Pugh adds to them a needle appliqué, created simply through a multitude of straws used to ssuccessfully create a glittery and plastic effect. Finally, one can’t forget the new sensuality evoked by strapless and backless night gowns. To note: a collection presented entirely in one colour, black, but with an incredible energy signaling a new direction for Gareth Pugh. Interview Gareth Pugh: It’s nice to be back. It’s weird saying that because I live and work here, but every season we have a Parisian show. It’s been quite easy, I was worried about this season being difficult because London was a very different place when I started to show 10 years ago. People need to sometimes feel like they can transform into somebody else, and that in a way is a type of armour. I think that fashion is based on fantasy and a lot of that is getting away from a reality that we know so it’s protection from a lot of different things. We do a lot of things with plastic and with bin bags, and I feel it’s a very English or a very folk or London thing to make something out of something that you have lying around. So every season I have a rake around my studio and think about what we could do. The all teeam thing with the makeup, it’s about being part of something bigger than you are, or sacrificing yourself for the good of a group of people. When you have a large group of people or a big team you can move in a much more powerful way.