More Than a Show: Gareth Pugh’s Grand Reconstruction

The timing of Gareth Pugh’s comeback is as bold as his designs. Later today the much-missed designer, absent from the London schedule for two years now, will stage his comeback in London. For obvious reasons this might not appear the ideal moment, but as Pugh observes in his press notes: “Naomi Klein speaks about the idea that in times of crisis, seemingly impossible ideas become possible. Right now, there are no rules. There are no limits. We are being offered an opportunity to invent the future.”

Pugh’s new season invention is entitled The Reconstruction, and takes the form of a huge portfolio of creative output contributed by a glittering ensemble cast of artists from a multitude of disciplines, with the designer’s addition of 13 typically haunting looks at its center. Instead of a show-show, Pugh is bundling his work and that of his collaborators into an exhibition opening in Christie’s in St. James and running for the duration of London Fashion Week. The elements of what Pugh calls a “visual concept album” are shaped around his 13 looks, each of which is inspired by a song. These looks have been photographed by master image-maker Nick Knight of ShowStudio, who has also overseen the shooting of 13 short films to accompany each image and piece. These films feature a diverse cast that spans the models Maggie Maurer and Georgia Moot, the musicians Rina Sawayama and IAMDDB, the Royal Ballet principal dancer Matthew Ball, and the artist and activist Sakeema Crook. Also promised is a feature-length documentary…and all of this for a collection that is not intended for sale. 

Instead Pugh and designer Melissa Mehrtens have collaborated to make a series of limited-edition jersey garments printed with imagery from The Reconstruction project, which will be sold online via a zero-waste digital platform named Hit + Run. All profits from these sales, as well as from the tickets to The Reconstruction exhibition, will be passed on to Refuge, a vital British charity dedicated to offering sanctuary and help to women and children subjected to or at risk from domestic violence.

Courtesy of Gareth Pugh 

Courtesy of Gareth Pugh 

Courtesy of Gareth Pugh 

Courtesy of Gareth Pugh 

This is a typically titanic and creatively inclusive undertaking from a designer who has always played with the boundaries of the imagination through fashion and performance. It’s also on behalf of an excellent and urgent cause: Britain, like many other nations, has seen rising levels of domestic violence in 2020. So if you’re in London this week—observing the rule of six, naturally—check it out.