Catwalk Look 2 - Looking into Gareth Pugh

Gareth Pugh

Gareth Pugh is an English designer, working in London, who graduated from London's Central Saint Martins in 2003. He became famous for his talent in 'redefining modern luxury' and hie style is always evolving. Pugh is known for mixing luxury silks and furs with trash bags and PVC to create a very high end and high fashion feel. Pugh makes very creative and abstract sculptures into almost wearable clothing using different fabrics, shapes and colours. 

Gareth Pugh
STARK, L., 2016. Photography/People [viewed 11th February 2016].
Available from: http://laurielynnstark.com/photography/people/

He showcased his first London Fashion Week collection in 2005 as a collaboration with the Fashion East and he held his first solo collection there in 2006 where he was sponsored by TopShop. In 2007 he presented his work in the Victoria and Albert Museum's Fashion In Motion showcase which is where he began to gain recognition for his creations from critics. In 2008 Pugh held his first fashion show in Paris, just after he won the ANDEM Fashion Award. He showcased his menswear collection for the first time in Paris in 2009. He first stocked a shop to showcase his brand in 2010 in Hong Kong. In 2011 Pugh was the guest designer at Italian trade show, Pitti, where he collaborated with director Ruth Hogben to showcase a special collection shown on a large-scale video. Now being a leading fashion designer and fashion film advocate, Pugh decided to create a live performance in New York City's Lower East Side, instead of a typical runway show for his 2015 spring/summer collection. He created this using a mixture of dance, music, film and sculpture and it was highly praised by the critics. 
Pugh continues to work with leading artists, designers and photographers to create show stopping artworks. He has recently focused more on theatre and dance in collaboration with highly respected choreographer Wayne McGregor at the Royal Opera House in London. Pugh has worked with some of the most famous and popular artists and fashion icons including Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna.  Pugh will continue to work with the leading names in the fashion industry to expand and grow his brand. 


Gareth Pugh's 2016 Spring/Summer Collection

FATALEFASHIONIII, 2015. Gareth Pugh | Spring Summer 2016 Full Fashion Show | Exclusive [viewed 11th February 2016]. 
Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4_PKlCKCCg

Mac Cosmetics' Val Garland created these painted masks for the models to wear for British Designer, Gareth Pugh's SoHo, disco inspired collection. The models wore a nude stocking over their head with either a black, white or red spiky wig that was placed further back than normal to accentuate their foreheads, created by hair stylist Malcolm Edwards. The masks were then painted, using Mac Acrylic Paint, with dramatic makeup, either in a exaggerated versions of a human face or with over sized stars painted over the eyes. The colour palette of this collection was limited to black, white, red and copper. Val Garland was very daring with the makeup design as usually the makeup for catwalks is kept quite simple so that most of the attention is on the clothes. However this makeup made the models almost unrecognisable and into different mysterious characters. This makeup predicted the trend of matte red lips and blue eye makeup, making it very current as well as artistic. This makeup look has inspired me to be inventive with my catwalk looks and to not limit myself to thinking that I have to necessarily keep the makeup and hair very simple. I have decided to create my own hair and makeup look for this collection and I can't wait to start designing it! I want the look to be very creative and avant-garde to reflect the bold and bright patterns in the collection.

MAC COSMETICS, 2015. MAC at London Fashion Week SS16 [viewed 11th February 2016]. Available from: https://www.facebook.com/MACcosmetics/photos/pcb.101
56096398565554/10156096389730554/?type=3&theater

Gareth Pugh was inspired by SoHo for this collection, saying "For me Soho’s a little bit like Disneyland or a fairground, it’s about fantasy or escapism, you can go there and be somebody else" which is translated through the use of mask, meaning that you can be whoever you want to be. The overall style of the collection was very clown-like, loud, vibrant and unique. The models wore latex  leggings, sequins and stripes which were incorporated into many of the looks, but coins were the biggest motif. They were scatted either side of the run way and featured in many of the models' outfits. This has been interpreted by some as a joke about SoHo's rising rents. I really like that the models faces can't be seen in this show because it makes the models look more like dolls and therefore the clothes are the main focus to the look because you aren't being distracted by someone's face. Many of the looks from the collection are shown below.

Look from Gareth Pugh's SS16 Collection
DP&K, 2015. Gareth Pugh #LFW #SS16 #rtw #SpringSummer #runway [viewed 11th February 2016]. Available from: http://deliaposadinokiel.com/2015/09/20/gareth-pugh-lfw-ss16-rtw-springsummer-runway/

Resources:
LONDONFASHIONWEEK, 2016. Gareth Pugh [viewed 11th February 2016]. Available from: http://www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/designers_profile.aspx?designerID=123

ALLWOOD, E., 2015. Freaks, queens and outcasts: Garteh Pugh sticks up for Soho [viewed 11th February 2016]. Available from: http://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/26532/1/freaks-queens-and-outcasts-gareth-pugh-sticks-up-for-soho

DEZEEN, 2015. Gareth Pugh pays tribute to London's Soho with disco-themed fashion collection [viewed 11th February 2016]. Available from: http://www.dezeen.com/2015/09/21/gareth-pugh-tribute-soho-disco-themed-fashion-collection-ss16-london-fashion-week/

WALKER, L., 2015. LFW | Gareth PughSS16 [viewed 11th February 2016]. Available from: http://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2015/09/lfw-gareth-pugh-ss16/