Fishwife

"We revel in the theatrical escapism of fashion" Today's Brand New Art We Heart is Fishwife the womenswear label from London. Wonderfully creative and beautifully imaginative, Fishwife have created their own extraterrestrial world of "the exquisite, the beguiling, the depraved". With Inspirations varying from nightmares to jellyfish to the mould that killed Brittany Murphy, the fashion industries search for a new wild and theatrical brand ends here. Fishwife have got it right, their use of sheer silks and floaty cuts balance out their bold themes, creating pieces that really are catwalk worthy. We chat to them about their debut collection "Death on a Pale White Horse" and the birth of Fishwife, you can also view the short film they created for the collection here.

Hi Fishwife! Who are you, tell us about yourselves S: Hi Ballad Of! Fishwife is two halves - myself, Sasha Jackson and Rachel Whittington. We met while studying bespoke tailoring and were immediately drawn to each others sense of style and creativity. We went on to work together several times in men's tailoring and women’s couture and found we were a really complementary team. We decided to take the leap and set up Fishwife last year. R: We get asked about the name a lot! We really liked that it was this derogatory term for a woman - “to swear like a fishwife” - but really it seems to imply more about strength and character. When you look into it there are some amazing descriptions of the original fishwives…. They sound like they were these really strong, amazing women who were really independent and progressive for the time. S: Plus the original fishwives came from Cullercoats, which is near where I’m from and Billingsgate, which is just around the corner from our studio….. which also happens to be on Fish Island…. it all kinda fell into place!

What were your inspirations for your debut collection, ‘Death on a Pale White Horse’? S: Our first collection is a melting pot of creative themes that have interested us both for years. We share a recurring nightmare of a surface that transforms from being perfectly smooth to crinkled, pock marked and rotten, that occurs almost like an advert section of horror in the midst of our other dreams. We’ve since discovered that the term for fear of this kind of texture is Trypophobia. We were fascinated by our simultaneous attraction and revulsion to this dream and set out to find examples of it in nature and the world around us. We ended up compiling a gruesome gallery of amazing images of slime moulds, rotten paint, spores, mildew, parasites, bugs, lampreys and the mould that killed Brittany Murphy! This strange collection became the basis of inspiration for the oil paintings I made which would eventually be used to create the digitally printed silks. R: In a literal sense, you can see how the references informed the shapes and silhouettes of the collection. The pleated sleeves on the jackets come from the overlapping joints of a lobster shell and the ridged scales on a woodlouse… In the lattices, the silk organza is left raw to mimic filaments of cobwebs and moth cocoons..the winged trousers move like jellyfish..

There also seems to be some strong historical influences running through the collection, could you tell us a bit more about that? R: I guess we both have a deep interest in history, and in terms of clothing, we’re too inquisitive to not look at the past. What excites us- and this is also (I think) what drew us into working together - is how far you can manipulate patterns and different construction techniques and to what effect. Historical dress is an incredible library, and not just for pure aesthetic bombasticness- it also helps cement your understanding of what you are doing and what you’re trying to achieve. We come from a very practical background in bespoke tailoring so our process is probably quite different to other designers. We did a lot of physical experimentation with sewing techniques and unusual construction methods before we even started working how we were going to use them! S: One example of this in the collection is the ‘lattice’ technique which took inspiration from an Elizabethan sleeve. We used custom printed organza and velvet ribbon to create a 3-dimensional surface. It took a lot of experimentation with the cloth to achieve the effect we were after…. the finished result kind of looks like super luxe bubble wrap!! R: The jackets are also our version of a Pet-en-L’air; an 18th century frock coat worn by both women of the French court and potato picking peasants! It’s a beautiful shape and we liked the juxtaposition of silhouette in both environments… We’ve also found out that hilariously, Pet-en-l’air translates as fart in the air (!) which paints a somewhat grotesque picture of lead-faced aristocats filling the French court with coats designed to withstand trumpeting farts! We relish that idea of dressing for court! S:…. Louche! R: And the coat is a perfect example of that kind of decadence… Each coat takes a week to make and uses 4 metres of fabric to create the layers of pleating at the back. We fused an old pattern with elements of traditional English suit tailoring to create something which we hope is more of a representation of the future than the past.

Who do you imagine wearing Fishwife? S: While we wanted to experiment with altering the female sillouette we were also very conscious to make sure that the clothes retained a dialogue with the female body. This means that although the outlines are unusual they are also very wearable and flattering. We imagine the clothes appealing to a woman who wants to feel unique while at the same time retaining a strong sense of femininity. R: Also I think the real heart of our practice comes from the fact that ultimately we design clothes that we want to wear ourselves. Each of our individual aesthetic comes through in the pieces we design. S: I think that’s the only way of creating that makes sense to us…..

Which other designers do you take inspiration from? R: Emile Pingat! He was a 19th century couturier, one of the finest of the time alongside Charles Worth. S: His designs are amazing, and if you look at the details and manipulation of cloth they also still feel really fresh. R: We’ve named one of the evening gowns in the collection after him; its inspired by one of his incredible embroidered jackets. His detailing really is exquisite. S: There are some designers making work at the moment that’s so exciting though. Iris van Herpen is incredible and we, along with countless others I’m sure, were massively inspired by the originality and playfulness of Meadham Kirchoff… We were heartbroken when they announced they were having to take a step back. It feels like the industry should be doing more to support this type of creativity in the UK.

There’s a strong aesthetic/mood that runs across not just the clothes but your photos and video as well… can you tell us a bit about that? S: We want Fishwife to express an entire fantasy world that you enter into… A feverish daydream…… R: We are very all or nothing, so yes, the photos and video embody, albeit through another medium, our vision for Death on a Pale While Horse. They add an extra dimension to the collection, and one that I think encapsulates what we’re about. Fashion has always been more than just clothes to us. It’s dreams, ideas… costume has transformative abilities! Clothes are tied into such complex historical, social, cultural, political constructs that they, in essence, articulate the wearers identity. I think the mood we have created is something that we’d definitely want to be climbing into…

Is this something that you look for in the work of other designers? S: I think the capacity for people to interact with fashion without necessarily being able to afford the clothes themselves should be an intrinsic part of the work that’s created. R: The more artistic side, the part that actually makes fashion exhilarating and provocative, more than just commerce or a commodity for an elite few, is something that seems to have been lost a bit recently… We saw the McQueen exhibition at the V&A and it was so thrilling to watch his catwalk shows and see people standing, completely enraptured…… there was such a sense of wonder; the audiences were genuinely overwhelmed! S: We’d love to be able to put on a big catwalk show one day… We’d love to do something really immersive. We’re both so completely involved in the visual identity of Fishwife, that hopefully that authenticity comes through in the work. It’s something thats really important to us. R: For example, we picked the music for our film while we were still designing, so it heavily informed the finished film. It’s an excerpt from a piece called Mnemonics III by electronic composer Pauline Oliveros. She is a feminist pioneer in minimal electronic sound, and Mnemonics III from 1965 is a frenetic otherworldly soundscape, using piercing verberations, insects, silo’s.. we’re just really excited by it and are so honoured that Pauline gave us permission to use it!

So what’s next on the horizon for you? S: We’ve just started working on the next collection which is really exciting….. we don’t want to give to much away but Brutalist architecture, some serious boning and jaundice hued PVC all look like they’ll be playing a part!

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