London Fashion Week. The most urban and exciting of all Fashion Weeks and definitely the one most likely to show and breed hot new talent in the fashion industry. A hotbed for creativity, London is home to some of the best designers in the world, some of whom manage to fly under the radar of most non-fashion folk – Fuggles if you will…
Step forward Prophetik. An uber cool brand founded by award-winning designer, Jeff Garner in Tennessee, USA, Prophetik is the sartorial result of Garner’s take on visual art, blended with his pioneering stance on sustainability. Garner was designated as one of 40 top artists in America, resulting in his work being exhibited in one of the world’s most famous museums, The Smithsonian.
With sustainability at the core of the brand, Prophetik is the fashion label you never knew you knew. Garner has dressed Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Gisele Bundchen, Miley Cyrus, Cameron Diaz, Livia Firth, Julia Stiles, Joe Jonas, Nick Jonas and Kings of Leon; and he has reached into the technological sphere, partnering with Apple and Griffin to create sustainable iPhone cases, which were revealed on the catwalk at London Fashion Week, where Cara Delevingne both opened and closed the show.
Spring forward to today, day 2 of LFW and Garner is back in a big way with his SS17 offering: Nevermore, which took place at the Tower of London. If the venue conjures up images of gothic romance then you’re definitely on the right track.
Jeff Garner’s spring/summer show, under his label Prophetik, nods to love lost and the notion that in the depths of a shadowy, dark void, light is exposed and wisdom can be found.
Heritage set the foundation of Nevermore. An American archetype – descended from Yorkshire settlers and the Native American Cherokee – Garner and his family have been residing in the state of Tennessee for seven generations, dating back to the land grant from Lord Fairfax. Mary Crane, daughter of chief Whooping Crane of the Cherokee Nation in Tennessee was Garner’s great, great, great grandmother and looking back to this Native American ancestry and its traditional folklore, Garner examined the raven, which featured on this season’s invitation. The raven is a symbol of a light-bringer – one which gifts humanity with understanding and discernment holding the ideal of balance. On the contrary, pulling from the English side of his ancestry, in Celtic lore, the raven was the goddess of war and strife.
“The raven shows us how to go into the dark of our inner self and bring the light of our true self to healing and creation, cultivating renewal, recycling, and reflection.” – Jeff Garner
Tradition and artisan craftsmanship collide, underwritten in Garner’s signature use of romantic shapes. Working with black and dark navy silhouettes, which he has steered away from in previous spring/summer collections, Nevermore borders on sombre with hints of whimsy and the ethereal. Black, naturally shed duck feathers symbolise raven feathers, while salmon sustainable leather, hemp silk, Tussah (peace silk), and hand-woven Dupioni appear, all of which are hand dyed with plant based hues at the Prophetik studio in Tennessee.
The show opened with Prophetik’s recently launched intimates collection followed by Prêt-à-Porter and ending with Garner’s statement making ballgowns, designed around the theme of a gothic wedding.
With a live soundtrack provided by Suzy Amis Cameron and Dorado, the show was firmly rooted in Tennessee
“Nevermore is a remembrance and in honour to all of those who have loved and lost.” – Jeff garner
A collection steeped in tradition, that sticks firmly to its own ethos of ethics and sustainable production while edging towards the dramatic, Prophetik might just be one to watch Voyeurs…
Pixie xo
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