There’s a surprisingly stress-free air when I visit the Sarabande Foundation to meet designer Antonio Vattev. The main room of the Haggerston cultural hub, usually reserved for talks and exhibitions run by the charity’s revolving door of artists in residences (Vattev being one of them), is unrecognisable as he and his team have filled it with rails of clothes, make-up stations, and lights as they are in the middle of shooting the brand’s S/S 25 collection.
It’s a laidback atmosphere that speaks to the designer’s cool approach this season. ‘I dont want people to think too much about the clothing. I wanted it to be so easy,’ he tells me. It’s a noticeable shift from his previous collections that have leaned more on the experimental. A typically bold vision fusing classic tailoring, deconstruction, and artistic flourish rooted in the Bulgarian designer’s artistic inclinations and understanding of the urban wardrobe.
‘I cleared the mood board and thought, ‘what’s really essential for me, my brand, and my message?’. Returning motifs include his signature cross closure collar and use of hardware. However, this time around he was a lot more conscious about where to implement the rigour of these harder details. With the ease of the everyday wardrobe in mind, he tells me the knits this season play on S/S 24’s Jagger Short (a lace-up ode to musicians 1969 Hyde Park stage costume), but without the eyelets for a lighter feel.
Of course, the biggest recurring thread for Vattev is his love of music. Mick Jagger notably being a continuous reference, with images of the rockstar in his prime pinned to the designer’s mood board. He’s joined by Jim Morrison and Halston to create a trifecta of 70s sex appeal.
‘I love the energy and the freedom,’ he says of the decade. ‘There is a formality that isn’t forced’. This notion comes across primarily in the languid silhouettes this season with loose shirting harkening to the era’s hedonism. ‘I wanted it to feel confident and strong, but not forced. I didn’t want to clothes to overpower you, but to help you bring out your best’.
Yet it isn’t the same old sultry severity we’ve seen time and time again when fashion attempts to recapture the bygone era. Looser silhouettes speak to the contemporary cool factor the designer is tapping into, while a belt made of chrome speakers adds an element of fun that he hopes will bring a smile to people’s faces.
There’s a duality that defines AV Vattev, which is why the designer chose the thistle as his logo. telling me it was the first flower he was introduced to at a flower market when moving to London. It’s fragile and aggressive, much like the icons he’s referencing.