Cottweiler is Ben Cottrell and Matthew Dainty. And it is an entire one of a kind world to discover. For its Autumn/Winter 2018 Fashion Show we were invited to the National History Museum, in the Earth's Treasury Room. The venue choice is literally linked to the theme of the collection.
Entering the museum, almost empty, was quite an experience. I have visited it several times before, during the day, but this time felt quite surreal and a perfect appetizer for the show to come.
The collection is based on a subterranean journey in the Slovenian Krizna Jama caves the designers took last year and it is titled "The Urban Spelunker". The title itself perfectly resumes the soul of this collection, enriched by a collaboration with Mulberry that resulted in a line of leather bags in phosphorescent colours, like hidden gems in the caves.
The use of merino wool, provided by The Woolmark Company, is also crucial in the collection, sealing the brand victory of the Woolmark Prize one year ago.
The Cottweiler world is an ongoing contrast between real and artificial, natural and synthetic and this tension could be felt during the whole show, whose music reminded of tribal anthems. I am glad I was able to step into this world.