The Tamesis
Zoe Champion had stars in her eyes when she designed the PH5’s fall line. The collection and lookbook were inspired by two different adventures in the night sky. The most recent one took place in Wallenbungle, New South Wales, Australia, which Champion explains is “the world’s first designated dark-sky national park. That means you can’t see artificial light when you’re there because it’s set among the mountains.” This adds an extra glow to the stars. On an earlier trip to Hawaii with brand co-founder Lin Wei, the colleagues stopped in the middle of the road and lay on their backs to observe the constellations; a memory recreated in the photo.
The strongest looks in the collection were also the most immediate: star-studded silhouette dresses, and trompe l’oeil jeans with stars on their back pockets. A legacy of floral prints and mixed media pieces influenced the collection’s cohesiveness. Champion’s idea of using polka dots as a star companion didn’t quite land, but the way the designer included a moon-shaped ring on the hem was interesting because it suggested an alternative to the brand’s usual wavy edges, which can sometimes bring in too much drama.
In terms of material development, the team found a way to combine fluffy mohair with PH5’s dense stretch knit. The two-tone reversible pieces are technically pleasing, but overall the brand is becoming increasingly flashy. The variety of images, colours, fibers and decorations confuses rather than convinces.
There are no pieces from the brand’s sportswear range in the lookbook, but it’s easy to tell the range is expanding. The color of the PH5 and the way the knit fabric supports the body seemed like a perfect fit for developing a unique performance gear. Imagine how cute a gym duo would look, consisting of a cropped cardigan and a gym tank top.
