Fashion brand Burberry’s freshly unveiled February 2017 collection was inspired by the bulbous forms of Henry Moore’s sculptures – and its London exhibition space Makers House allows visitors to see how.
It’s the second outing for Makers House, Burberry’s Manette Street exhibition space in the heart of Soho, which launched last September. This time, the fashion brand has teamed up with the Henry Moore Foundation (which is celebrating its 40th anniversary) to curate the space.
‘Looking at, and thinking about [Moore’s] work set up a series of conversations as we began working on our latest collection,’ says Burberry CEO Christopher Bailey. ‘The result is an incredibly enriching collaboration with his Foundation which has extended well beyond our show, and into an extraordinary exhibition of his work and process at Makers House.’
Burberry’s February 2017 collection made its catwalk debut inside the house last night. Now the ready-to-buy pieces are displayed liked sculptures amid over 40 of Moore’s sculptures, maquettes and drawings, including the polystyrene model of ‘Mother and Child: Block Seat’ (1983) and ‘Draped Mother and Baby’ (1983).
The building’s physical space has been opened up for the 2017 iteration with a double-height atrium flooding the cape-lined catwalk in light. Raw concrete support beams lend the space an atelier feel, and a display of tools – saws, pliers, trowels and hammers favoured by the sculptor in his work – lines the back wall of the exhibition space.
In the upstairs area, a stack of television screens show an early BBC documentary of Moore in his Perry Green studio in Hertfordshire, where he stashed his vast collection of found objects and where Burberry’s campaign was shot. There’s also a plant-filled Portrait Studio for visitors to have their photographs taken, as well as workshops for print and textile making, and life drawing lessons.
Literal references to Moore’s art have worked their way into the collection’s graphic prints. His favoured ‘butcher’s apron’ manifests as a Breton-stripe jersey, while the curve of his bronze casts shape the silhouettes of shirts and coats. Found objects, such as rope have inspired woven capes, while shearling appears again and again – a nod to views of sheep fields Moore enjoyed from his Perry Green studio.
‘Henry Moore: Inspiration & Process’ runs until 27 February at Maker’s House, 1 Manette Street, London W1D 4AS
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