Access All Areas April 2020 | Page 32

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."