APRIL | COVER FEATURE
"The build was complex and
large-scale, so we allowed
them to load in and build
his Central St Martin’s (University of the Arts
London) contemporaries. “I don’t usually go
to that many fashion shows,” he says, “but the
thing that resonated with me most was when I
was at Central St Martin’s college watching the
graduating year, where you get the raw emotion
of watching all these beautiful things that came
through such hard work.
“My inspiration is taking something familiar
and putting it in a different context, so the
flowers [a mainstay in his clothing ranges] are
about taking the most overused thing – a floral
print – and taking on the challenge of using them
to make something quite dark, sinister, under the
radar and jarring.”
This haunting mood was echoed in the music
choices of Quinn’s SS20 event. As the show
began, the walls of the mansion backdrop,
constructed in RHH’s Lawrence Hall, opened
to reveal a live performance from pianist and
musician Hannah Grace, whose set included a
rendition of Abba’s Dancing Queen.
Access asked Quinn about the importance of
music, festivals and the arts in informing his
shows: “I go to the West End often, and musicals,
festivals and gigs are part of where I take
inspiration from for the events and clothing.
"The music helps make the environment
in which the clothes sit, and without that it
wouldn’t be the world that I create.”
VENUE
STRIKES A
POSE
The venue, the Royal Horticultural Hall’s, story
is very much a part of the SS20 event and a part
of Quinn’s story too. Rhiân Pressley, Venue
32
overnight on Saturday."