Phoebe English demonstrates a new collection for Spring/Summer 2025 under the name Cloud Cover, intentionally incorporating the brand’s codes through unused or foraged materials. For this collection, Phoebe English goes over the reflective hearts that automatically advocate for dual love. The theme of love appears in the collection in its various forms, particularly focusing on protection, repetition, and transformation.
The cutout reflective hearts act as an imagery of a shield showing us that love can be optimised as a protective symbol. The duality continues to be mentioned as love can exist in various forms. Love is presented as both a shelter and a driving force, offering security and also pushing one to move forward.
Along with the presentation, the show notes were in the form of a poem:
Surface manipulation correlates to the storytelling of love and the fragility of love, whether through the split seams portraying fractured or ever-changing love or the heart silk lace cut out of subtly draped panels or embroidered stripes. The cutout hearts serve as the modern haubergeon, chain mail shirt, which is a layer or even part of the protection. There is a revealing of the skin that serves as part of the intimacy for love.
English’s ethos lies in sustainability and the repurposing of fabric that has been unused or thrown out by other possible garment makers. The fabric for this collection includes hotel bedding, silks from bridal waste cut-offs, surplus, and faulty leftover sewing threads. Repurposed bedding, which often is soft and beneficial, fits with the notion of shelter and care. It invokes the “cloud” idea with its soft, cushiony texture and functional beginnings. Bridal silk represents the emotional force of love and celebration. The bridal silks acquire a new life, evoking the concept of ongoing love.
Phoebe English Spring/Summer 2025 Cloud Cover Collection Looks
Exclusive Phoebe English Interview
PE: Phoebe English
AD: Alisa Dylevy
PE: The collection is about love. How we can find strength with people that we love while threatening events happen. It’s about finding a sanctuary in the act of loving or with the people that we love.
AD: You previously spoke about the significance of love in this collection, in the garment design there are cut-out hearts, do they symbolise anything further than love?
PE: The hearts are reflective. They reflect the pair of my children. I just had a second child so it’s a personal pair of hearts for me.
AD: Has motherhood impacted your working patterns or did it even impact it?
PE: It doesn’t impact it. It made my working pattern different, I have to work differently. I have to be more decisive, make decisions quicker and work in smaller sections of time. It’s all a discipline.
AD: Phoebe English designs are very functional, you can directly put a person into the garment from the runway, what do you think of more decorative fashion which cannot be always worn?
PE: This is always a big conversation that we have. We hope to facilitate functionality and usability but also we have a narrative and a storytelling ability. It’s more of a storytelling and not much of something that a person can wear to a supermarket. Not all pieces end up in the shop, but we do have customers for it, they also end up in places like museums or educational centres. It’s almost like they are message-givers. We still value that purpose even if it’s less functional.
AD: Is there an art piece that you would describe this collection with?
PE: I don’t know. I’m currently in a maternity space not much in the art world. But I hope it has its own space for art to be perceived.
Photography: Asia Werbel & Lily Ashrowan
PR: In-House Phoebe English