In the Cayman Islands, where Jawara Alleyne is from, the fall season brings torrential rains that can cause significant destruction. Locals are used to preparing for these challenges, and the designer’s latest collection is inspired by the need for adaptation and resilience in the wake of a hurricane. “Every year an island is destroyed – growing up knowing that your entire life is threatened by natural conditions makes you appreciate everything in a different way,” he said in a preview. “I wanted to reinterpret this survival instinct and ingenuity I grew up with: portraying fall and winter weather through a Caymanian lens.”
On this rainy Monday morning, the last day of the official London programme, Alleyne took us all to church at St. Mary Le Strand Chapel in Holborn – a deliberate choice. “On islands, there are three institutions that are used as hurricane shelters: hospitals, schools and churches,” he said.
The show opened with a striped hooded crop top in stretch jersey, paired with a low-slung peach maxi skirt adorned with numerous hand-turned details, reflecting the hasty dressing of someone on the go. This sense of spontaneity permeated the collection, but was accompanied by the designer’s continued evolution towards an elegant twist on his anarchic aesthetic. Drape has remained a cornerstone of his design ethos, but this time he switched from smooth jersey to denser fabrics, resulting in more pronounced silhouettes. Checks of corduroy, waxed cotton, denim and wool are artfully curled and twisted to form architectural tops, maxi skirts and deconstructed hooded jackets.
The designer was recently a guest mentor at Ark Burlington Danes Academy in West London, where he challenged art students with an assignment that resulted in three students contributing to the collection. Strikingly, Konstantinos Slouzi’s textile work found its place in the line-up via a frayed, ivory-colored short-sleeved shirt. The final look – a statement white mesh dress, worn with a matching headband – captured the effortless, cool vibe of a pirate bride. Jawara Alleyne’s growing creative universe is both distinctive and compelling.
