It’s virtually impossible not to watch one of Sister by Sibling’s salon shows during London Fashion Week without smiling at the mischievousness and tremendous creative talent present in the women’s garments produced by Joe Bates, Sid Bryan and Cozette McCreery. The label’s Spring/Summer 2013 womenswear collection, titled ‘Warrior in Woolworths’ mirrored the menswear range presented in London in June 2012 in that it focused on the notion that the tensions inherent to class differences can be channelled towards societal regeneration by identifying the playfulness and humour that underlies criticism of public ideologies and the relativism struck between high fashion and popular taste.
To further illustrate this theme, the label used the collection to pay homage to the late musician and singer Poly Styrene and her punk rock band X-Ray Spex in outfits that blended youthful colours with old-lady cuts. In this universe, things are not always what they seem: traditional cable knits are reinterpreted by being covered with paillettes to create pattern, an argyle jacket and dress are embroidered with 10,000 bespoke colourful flower beads, and a cardigan is made from golden blister stitch jacquard with a skulls pattern. At the same time, girly elongated knitwear polo shirts and tennis dresses come in neon lime, day-glo pink or soft-colour stripes of Italian viscose, and are on occasion embroidered with cut-out flowers at hems and necks.
The playfulness of the collection continued in neon lime and black leopard prints that shimmered with a layer of sequins, and a classic pencil skirt, a shell top, knickers, a pom-pom skirt, a cocktail jacket, and a giant pom-pom coat knitted in ironic un-washable paper yarn trimmed with raffia. The Sibling ‘Paint S’ symbol, in a very Lichtenstein-esque pop design, was realized in sequins on crewneck tops whereas graphic sandals designed by footwear designer Sophia Webster added yet another humorous touch.
Established in 2008, Sibling has slowly but surely secured a cult status amongst fashion followers not only in London but internationally, with their collections stocked in retailers in Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Russia and Saudi Arabia. With the eccentrically impish and highly successful ‘Warrior in Woolworths’ collection for Spring/Summer 2013, Sister by Sibling has confirmed its very deserved status as one of the most inspirational and accomplished labels showing these days during London Fashion Week.
