ACROSS a series of images recalling the everyday uncanniness of Canadian photographer Jeff Wall’s work, models Iris Law and Shivaruby Premkanthan linger in a late modernist home.
They slouch in mid-century leather armchairs, strike languid poses against a hanging fireplace, and gaze wistfully out onto the misty garden. Their looks exude an air of confident comfort—a seductive nonchalance that almost convinces you this home is their own.
KNWLS AW25
KNWLS AW25
AW25 channels their off-duty-but-always-on boldness—an effortlessness that takes a hell of a lot of effort—gleaned from falsely candid pap snaps of 00s It-girls and fashion industry bigwigs. Swerving nostalgia, KNWLS passes the era’s emblematic casual kitsch through a prism of contemporary elevation.
Cutesy-cosy power mesh dresses, leggings, and tops feature anatomical panelling, with speckled hotfix crystals swapped for burnished metal studs. Flounced hems affix to corseted micro skirts with suspender straps, while baby tees are slashed, peeling open at the navel and bust.
Layered on top, ultra-cropped pearl-sheen puffers come with inbuilt ribbed knit sleeves and vests, while opera gloves descend from the gigot sleeve heads of enzyme-washed velour hoodies.
KNWLS AW25
KNWLS AW25
The collection’s casual air is counterposed by the rigour and experimental daring of its fabric treatments. Leggings are sublimated to echo acid-washed jeans. Denim jackets and slim-fit jeans are flocked for a velvety texture, and then bleached.
KNWLS AW25
Leatherwork—always a KNWLS staple—adds welcome heft, with honey-shearling coats in cropped and full lengths. Tube dresses, squared jackets, and trousers feature intricately smocked calfskin panels. A standout piece is a slouchy funnel-neck sweater dress, cocooning the body in featherlight shaved shearling.
by Chidozie Obasi