This season Hoodedwept designer Neil Sheriff takes us deep into outer space. Saturn to be exact. Inspired by the 12 year odyssey of the Cassini space mission, AW17’s Nexus is a collection the void is articulated in dark heavy wool and carbon dust is captured in sequins, all of it playing off smooth optic moon whites and they grey of Saturn’s moons. Zen and ambience meets streetwear basically. Sheriff caught up with OUTinPerth to take us into space, fashion’s final frontier.

- Advertisement -

Talk us through this season’s inspiration? 

I became obsessed by this idea that each planet and moon has its own sonic signature and actually sings. So the planets are singing and this idea obsessed me. And I thought that’s great Neil, but you can’t translate that visually because it’s sonic. So I looked at the visual outcome of that mission, the photography sent back and it’s the first time in any known lifetime that we’ve had imagery this clear and this intense. So the whole palette (of the collection) comes from the colours and textures in our known galaxy.

What did you connect with the most from this imagery?

The loneliness of it all. We have such a lonely galaxy. It made me draw a clearer parallel as planets, as their own astral bodies, and the planets out there and how, fundamentally, we are all adrift in a sea of space. But at the end of the day we still have our voice, our own vibration and we’re all just reaching out to each other with this vibration.

This collection has a bit more of a street edge to it: why’s that?

If you’re doing anything to do with space travel, it’s gotta have elements of that journey so I brought in tech-wear elements. But we’ve also found, over the past two seasons, that we’ve forged a massive connection with street culture. A lot of our supporters are from that background. They’re interested in something artistic and intellectual, so it’s inclusion is a slight nod to that growth, a logical progression.

Standout pieces this season?

For women the Prometheus Funnel Jacket: that shit is sexual. For men the Cygnus Tech Hoody. And for everybody else I’d recommend having fun with the collection: each piece appears on the website with a story next to it, so find a piece or a story that resonates with you.

Advice for upcoming labels?

Be authentic. Be realistic. And work under somebody else for at least three years before you start your own label: cut your teeth on somebody else’s time before you fuck up on your own.

Visit www.hoodedwept.com to see the full collection and keep an eye for his upcoming capsule collection created in collaboration with former Shakespeare’s Sister Marcella Detroit, released soon.

Scott-Patrick Mitchell