Cucculelli Shaheen Showcasing their collection in Chelsea
Cucculelli Shaheen’s eighteenth collection premiered in a moody gray 22,000-square-foot industrial venue in Chelsea. Models walked under spotlights and to booming instrumentals in garments inspired by insomnia, transient transcendence, lucid dreaming, myth, chaos, and the very particular moments between sleep and consciousness. From Black mesh with silver hardware to bridal whites with embroidered tulle veils and gold, red, pink, green, and florals in between, “Hypnos” took attendees on a transformative but fluid journey from night to morning.
Anna Shaheen shared that, because of her and design partner Anthony Cucculelli’s personal experiences with insomnia and familiarity with the unusual sensation of being awake for the transition from dark to light, for the collection named “Hypnos” after the Greek god of sleep, the concept came before the clothes. When creating a collection like this one, what comes first? The concept or the clothes? For this collection, the concept came first. We wanted to design a collection that reflected that concept of darkness to light, and plotted out the number of looks in each subsection - insomnia, lucid dreaming, and peaceful awakening. We then layered in some concepts we were interested in exploring Artificialia and Naturalia.
Once the collection was complete, what was the process like to ensure that the runway show (location, lighting, music, seating arrangements/layout, etc.) reflected the clothes and represented the intended themes?
This season, we wanted to be thoughtful about how the runway reflected the theme. We leaned into the idea of a more industrial space, vs. the more ornate spaces we showed at the last few seasons, that would showcase the raw feeling of the collection’s materials and overall feeling. The lighting, with the spotlights in the darkened runway with haze, was an integral part of the runway, to give the ambiance of a waking dream.
Is there a piece from Collection 18 that encapsulates the "Hypnos" ethos?
Look #2 gives a real feeling of the collection. There is a layered effect with a lot of transparency, and as it moved on the runway, there was a play of darkness and light in the sheer tulles and chiffons.
How does Collection 18 differ from your past work?
It is a more personal collection for us, having lived through insomnia. We wanted to make sure that while the runway started on a more moody note, it ended on an uplifting moment. It’s a larger collection, as we expanded into some new silhouettes (bombers, shorts, racer tops) and new techniques, such as hammered bullion, raffia macramé, and natural pearls reflecting the natural world around us.
Article by Bianca Asare, Contributing Editor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
*All images courtesy of Cucinelli