Crystal-helmets, wig-headpieces, rope-garments, claw-bérets… there were plenty of fashionable hybrids the other day at the Swarovski lounge, their colourfulness enhanced by the rays of sunlight filtering through the transparent stones. An Eighties spirit prevailed; see the Lasergame-blazers, electronic shoes, glittery jewellery, punk skirts and so on. Games and Pop art. Wit of ‘hats’ and headpieces above all, with Mich Dulce‘s linen-like royal hats, Piers Atkinson‘s ‘teddy lion’ headbands, Void of Course goggle-masks, Fred Butler‘s rope-braids and Charlie le Mindu‘s broom-sculptures.

Hatsravaganza aside, the highlight of the day was Una Burke‘s latest collection Overcome, with its subtle filigree cuffs, necklaces, headbands, bodices, bags and corsets. There, traditional leatherworking reached a truly poetic touch. The items were characterized by a tension between “spiralling and spikey forms”, that were inspired by “watery imagery” and a majestic barge found at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Although the opulence of the gilded boat is still recognizable in the colours, its kitsch factor has been brushed away by Una’s minimalistic touch.

While in general, glitzy surfaces rhymed somehow superficially with the crystallized room, Burke’s designs found an ideal set with Liberty’s as its background. Colours and shapes of the leatherworks shared the fairy-tale severity of the department-store façade. Take the ivory and dark brown cuff, for instance: we do get the reference to waves and the maritime world, but does it not look like a miniaturized half-timbered house? The beauty of Una Burke’s designs is in their technical and thematic complexity – they are not only armour-like accessories; they suggest different stories, not only of Puppenhäuser‘s or magic boats’ inhabitants, but also of any other tale location you might dream of.

Featured: Alex Mattsson (www.alexmattsson.com), Alex Noble (www.allisalexnoble.com), Astrid Andersen (www.astridandersen.com), Alun Davies (www.alun-davies.com), Aqua (www.aquabyaqua.com), Bernhard Willhelm (www.bernhard-willhelm.com), Charlie le Mindu (www.charlielemindu.com), Dr Noki (www.novamatic.com.noki.htm), Fred Butler (www.fredbutlerstyle.com), Jaewan Park (www.jaewanpark.com), Kitty Joseph (www.kittyjoseph.com), Margot Bowman (www.margotbowman.com), Mich Dulce (www.michdulce.com), Piers Atkinson (www.piersatkinson.com), Studio XO (www.studio-xo.com), Una Burke (www.unaburke.com), Vivian Ying (www.vivianying.co.uk),Void of Course (www.void-of-course.com)

Special thanks to Ella Dror Pr, Una Burke

Photos Isa Jakob