Edward Cuming‘s name is probably already familiar to you because we’ve talked about him on other occasions. In fact, the last time was around this date and on the launching of his Autumn/Winter 2022 collection. It’s incredible! It seems like yesterday when we discovered the Australian designer based in Madrid, and now, a year later, we are still celebrating another release with Edward, something to be appreciated, especially as he is an emerging designer, who has transformed in recent months, inhabiting a new studio and the feeling of adventure, freedom, and bravery that comes with it.
Cuming begins to create, like any good creator, on a blank canvas. From there he takes vibrant visual cues and reference points to design for the Autumn/Winter 23 season, unashamedly challenging notions of what casual and evening wear can and should be. In this process of creation or design, whatever you want to call it, he plays with the concepts of inversion, and traditional silhouettes and highlights the imperfections that often hide the brand’s signature elements. This season showcases the interchangeable nature of styles, fabrics, and silhouettes in an effort to break the rules of what it means to dress up or dress down.
As inspiration for the line, E.C. has taken the mundane and banal, which relates to a fleeting moment of uncertainty at a family celebration and the desire to find a balance between comfort and elegance. All of these influences are masterfully reflected in the pieces that make up the proposal, such as oversized coats with voluminous proportions and sequins; hand-knitted, striped, pleated, or ruffled cardigans; vibrant shirts; heavy denim; robust tailoring; and the occasional accessories collaboration with shoemaker Adam Signature, as well as French luxury accessory design studio Dentro, born out of a shared set of values that focus on exposing elements that are normally hidden and elevating the process to the level of form. Shopper and shoulder bags are all you’ll find, with the signature touch of course, incorporating two-tone fabric cut-outs.
Risk-taking is something the Aussie-Spaniard is not afraid of, and to prove his point, he demonstrates how to get away with boldly using different colors and vibrant textures. The complexity is present and, increasingly, as the designer is finding his own way and what he feels most comfortable with. For example, the iconic cropped shirts are reinvented in a silky triacetate fabric, with larger shapes and intensified two-tone colors; stripes of clashing colors adorn different pieces, or even a red jumper takes on the appearance of velvet due to the special dye treatment.
There are many garments to talk about, but if we had to select a few, we would say the oversized red coat, combined with slouchy trousers in woven tapestry jacquard, make for showstopper garments resembling traditional furniture textiles turned inside out; a heavy navy trenchcoat with huge raglan sleeves that marks the silhouette, mirroring the shell of a turtle coincidently coined as the turtle coat; and finally, since we mentioned turtles, a series of sun-bleached tourist T-shirts, also featuring a turtle as an original artwork with the studio’s new address. This detail pays homage to a good luck charm given by a dear friend in the early days of the brand.
Shoes in collaboration with Adam Signature – a Reggio Emilia-based dancer, painter, and evident shoemaker – put the icing on the cake and reinforce the offer and the union between the handmade and the imperfect.
Check out the collection below:
