Given the high-octane glamour and warrior-woman energy of Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault’s work at KNWLS, you’d be forgiven for thinking the duo behind it were just as fierce. But within their generation of London designers, Knowles and Arsenault are among the most softly-spoken and thoughtful; an energy that seemed to find its way into their latest, more mature collection, titled “Sensational.” (The pair delivered the name of the title over a Zoom call with a knowing grin.)
“There’s so much pressure in the world of fashion lately, and I think a lot of people in our community are feeling quite down about it, so we wanted to do something that felt really strong and uplifting,” said Arsenault, referring to the grim retail landscape many London brands have noted as a challenge over the past six months. Added Knowles: “Obviously we’re using the word ‘sensational’ in a bit of an ironic way, but it’s also a nod to how social media operates—the gimmickry of it—and so we wanted to go against that somehow, and make a collection that was really, purely about the clothes. That’s what we really care about, in the end.”
While the pair began putting together a mood board of ’80s references—“we wanted to play around with these bigger silhouettes and textures,” Knowles noted—what truly guided them this season wasn’t any specific inspiration, but an open-ended willingness to experiment with new materials and shapes. Those technical developments were immediately visible in their sophisticated use of leather: perhaps most notably, in a standout pair of looks cut from full-grain green leather, first as a top and low-slung skirt, and then as a stellar oversized jacket with Claude Montana-esque linebacker shoulders. Equally impressive were the corset and pedal pusher sets crafted from treated pinstripe denim and studded with eyelets, which were then woven with chunky laces to lend the look an additional edge. Meanwhile, other pieces veered into more unexpected territory for the brand, such as the richly textured separates covered with odd-shaped sequins that created a camouflage pattern, or a brushed mohair jacquard zip-up dress and one-shoulder top in a pattern resembling tire tracks, revealing itself to be butter-soft to the touch.
“We wanted to explore textiles that maybe you wouldn’t associate with KNWLS,” added Knowles, also highlighting the pieces made from more traditionally luxurious fabrics like cashmere and chunky wools. (Bringing an additional touch of elevated, and very ’80s glamour, was the jewelry, created in collaboration with the New York-based designer Arielle di Pinto. Strands of chunky chains were woven through with other more delicate chains to create pieces that were decadent, but with a punk-ish current that also referenced crochet pieces from their previous collections.)
The duo also emphasized that their intention was to open the brand up to a wider age range of customers, alongside the club kids and pop stars who first made their intricate mesh pieces a viral sensation. “I think we really wanted to elevate things, and make it feel a little more mature and ladylike,” Knowles added. Mission accomplished.
