Text by Leigh Maynard
Eudon Choi often takes inspiration from architectural elements and historical themes. This season, the London-based fashion designer looked to Italy’s southwestern shores, on the Gulf of Naples, a lost city that sat precariously under Mount Vesuvius. Pompeii will forever be steeped in drama. Lost in 25 short hours as the volcano erupted in 79AD, the city is immortalised for its sudden loss under an ash cloud.
Fast forward to February 2024, in a hall in Marylebone, London. A pianist plays as models march. The ‘Temporis Processum’ collection draws on Pompeii’s splendour and tragedy, looking at what remains, the ornate details and pigmented ruins left emergent through the ashes, a reminder of life’s fragility. Choi explores this tension between beauty and destruction through the interplay of masculine tailoring underpinned by a feminine delicacy. Soft, sumptuous materials such as cashmere, wool, and velvet with exposed seams, distressed finishes with sensual silhouettes tempered with intricate detailing reflect the tension and opposition in the city’s lost grandeur.
The palette with tonal hues includes sage, soil, sky blue, and pink, drawn from Pompeii’s muted surfaces and murals. ‘Temporis Processum’ is a testament to the city’s timeless beauty and allure. It is a collection that reflects that sentiment and also demonstrates Choi’s prevailing adeptness and appeal as a designer. This is a designer who creates collections with that same alluring and immutable quality while always remaining undoubtedly fresh and contemporary.
