As the lights dimmed and anticipation hung in the air like a promise of spring, the voice of the host echoed through St. Mark’s Church: “Please silence your cell phones, Superbloom is about to bloom.”
And bloom it did.
Set on a very rainy March 23, prayers for spring were answered when the makeshift runway was graced with earthy looks that brought fashion back to its (warmer) roots.
It started as an idea planted back in August. Designers Malia Quigley, Sophia Mullally, Zach Lenett, Hannah Khouadra, and Gretchen Nelson came together to grow Superbloom, meeting every Friday to discuss their visions, personal style, and how they could all come together. These would be their debut collections, and with spring just around the corner, they agreed that Superbloom would be a fitting title.
And though they all had unique creative perspectives, the works presented by each of the designers served as some much-needed encouragement in a world where sustainability and inclusivity border on becoming buzzwords.
Also formed on the basis of conveying individual approaches to the world of fashion, Superbloom called out the fashion industry’s recent pattern of straying away from its roots of craftsmanship and inclusivity in favor of searching for the latest viral trend. We watched Coperni spray a dress onto Bella Hadid at Paris Fashion Week in 2022. Animal lovers averted their eyes when Schiapparelli models toted faux animal heads as they catwalked the Spring/Summer 2023 runway. And we scrolled in disbelief when MSCHF’s “Big Red Boots” flooded our Instagram feeds.
So, it’s safe to say that Superbloom’s claims about the fashion industry only chasing fleeting fads and disregarding craftsmanship are meritable.
The show began with Quigley’s collection, an eerily beautiful ode to loose silhouettes that effortlessly drape themselves over the body. Barely-there dresses and hoods galore, it wouldn’t be shocking if Jenna Ortega got her hands on them someday. One look in particular, a black hooded dress with a marled shawl and asymmetric skirt walked the line between modesty and sexy with its (literally) cheeky style. It took the saying, “business in the front, party in the back” to heart.
The artisanship and detail was perhaps the most prevalent quality shared among each designer’s lineup. One of Lenett’s looks from his collection “Suffering Happiness” consisted of a sheer cropped tank embellished with broken dish shards and beige, wide-fitting trousers. The models walked as if these dish shards had found their way to the floor too, slowly meandering across the runway in a cartoon-like fashion.
On the other hand, models for Mullally’s “Apricity” didn’t bat an eyelash to the metaphorical dish shards that only Lenett’s models could see. Carrying their shoes like one would a clutch handbag, they floated across the floor barefoot, adorned in looks worthy of a beachy bride.
The show brought viewers back to their roots, but in terms of reconnecting with the earth in the midst of the “concrete jungle” as opposed to remembering where you actually come from. The numerous see-through silhouettes artfully celebrated the beauty of the human body.
But in terms of these more natural roots, Khouadra’s collection, “The Eyes and Back Turn Upward” provided us with a glimpse of the modern day Red Riding Hood, traipsing through the woods in artfully constructed leather corsets and baggy, plaid pants.
Superbloom wrapped up with Nelson’s collection, “För Vӓrlden,” a neutral-toned love letter to the midi skirt and the handbag. It taught us that you don’t necessarily need to wear a top under your jacket and that charcoal gray can be a spring color too. It practically screamed, “Wear what you want! Who cares if people think it’s trendy or not?”
In an industry where trends come and go as quickly as spring did in these recent weeks (what’s that all about?), these designers cleansed our palates of the gorging we did on every micro-trend that was pushed onto us. So the next time you’re tempted to chase after the latest fad, pause and listen for Superbloom’s quietly resounding message: true style transcends trends. Let your true style bloom.