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Sometimes, the best stories are told off the page. This is certainly true for designer Christopher Nemeth, whose garments are nothing short of pure magic. Hailing from London, the late artist and designer found inspiration in the unconventional and often discarded materials littering the city. Fashioning inventive silhouettes from old mail carrier bags, bits of rope and canvas, and secondhand clothing, Nemeth created unique pieces that challenged audiences’ perceptions of what could be considered fashionable or beautiful.
Nemeth’s close friend and collaborator, photographer Mark Lebon, said it best—the garments “told stories, they challenged you [...] They revealed their process, they were humorous, daring, challenging. Full of feeling.”
After a trip to the Swiss Institute, another masterful storyteller who uses visual art to provoke and titillate viewers comes to mind: the incomparable Louise Bonnet. Readers may already be familiar with Bonnet's delightfully stylized, bulbous figures that practically protrude right off of the canvas.
Through these cartoonish figures, Bonnet impels viewers to consider the concealed intent latent within our unconscious gestures; though the bodies are on display, the objects they’re interacting with remain curiously out of sight. In this way, she creates rich narratives using the power of suggestion.
Though their approaches are notably different, both Nemeth and Bonnet exemplify the notion that you don’t have to say a single word to tell a compelling story.
Serviette maintains a similar approach to perfumery, bringing the wearer on a deeply intentional and personal olfactory journey. Take Ruche, for instance. Opening with a sting of Turkish galbanum, Ruche settles into a bright, creamy musk accented by juicy, sun-ripened raspberries; through its drydown, it takes the wearer on a narrative journey that somehow feels both comfortingly familiar and excitingly fresh. Much like a raspberry clinging to the vine, youth seems to hang suspended in the air, at once ephemeral and eternal: a pure moment of possibility.