Central Saint Martins students launch book at 180 The Strand – WWD

LONDON – Central Saint Martins design duo Freddy Coombes and Matt Empringham will launch their first book, All Black Flexing Tour Bus, ESC Key Filter System, A Blanket Ambience E-Scooter, at 180 The Strand on Friday. And actors Emma Corrin has already flaunted a look straight from her pages.

To showcase fabric in its purest form, the designers created 30 garments using paper, bulldog clips and neoprene tubes. Above all, the book with the pictures by young photographer Marius Uhlig is an ode to young talent.

The duo, who met during their foundation year at fashion university, were contacted by independent publisher Ayvan to create her very own book after the exhibition of her fifth book Collection together last summer.

There was just one problem: both were about to begin their year in the industry – Coomes was moving to Loewe in Paris and Empringham was moving to JW Anderson in London – and the duo had to find a way to create an entirely new collection from two different locations.

“We had to find a way to create a collection in different countries and cities, which was a fundamental point of interest for us,” Coomes explained.

“We had to come up with a construction method for these clothes that didn’t require us to be physically there. So we designed all these things by talking about them,” he continued.

Without the ability to construct the garments together, Coomes and Empringham sought accessible ways to experiment with themes of time and space.

“In the end, everything was very materialistic. We really didn’t know what it looked like until we found the material; For example, there is a look that involves glued leather that we found in a factory in Paris. This fabric completely informed the design as it was only assembled that day,” said Empringham.

“There’s not a bit of stitching or stitching in any of the looks. We didn’t have the preparation time necessary to make any of these garments. We purchased all the different parts and components. Then when the model arrived, we actually made it, so all the garments were pretty much made on site,” Coomes added.

The designers are about to start their final year at fashion school and are not letting up: they hope to present their first produced collection at the Central Saint Martins BA fashion show; publish a cookbook and start producing furniture.

“We’re just interested in seeing it as another year of maintaining the working relationship… continuing on the path we’re on and doing the work we want to do in the way we want to do it,” concluded Empringham.