Wide A.W.A.K.E.

Stefano Pilati for Zara. Heron Preston for H&M. Bella Freud for Marks & Spencer. It looks like the High Street knows that they need real design cred to bolster the homogeneity of the prevailing normcore looks. And now, for another amazing collaboration, we present to you today’s latest launch between A.W.A.K.E. MODE and John Lewis!

Avant-garde design and John Lewis in the same breath? Unexpected yes, but when you see the care the much loved high street retailer has taken to re-create some of founder Natalia Alaverdian’s greatest hits (she’s been going since 2012!) we can only applaud the final result. 

Natalia’s love for a fantastical flounce, mismatch pairing and deconstructed tailoring has been met with quality fabrics and great value pricing by John Lewis. Her classic stripe long tee with asymmetrical neckline shows they aren’t afraid of Natalia’s whimsy, and that’s what makes this collaboration so special. Natalia’s gift of joining up the mundane of the everyday - denim, but make it oval, frills but make them tiny layered squares! - with a certain joie de vivre results in her unique silhouettes and unexpected accents that perfectly work. 

The 46 piece collection, launching today in selected stores and online, promises to be a solid weaving of John Lewis’ quality and value with A.W.A.K.E’.s intrigue. A pair of black trousers feature a built-in black mini skirt, creating that cool layered silhouette with ease, while another pair balloons at the leg adding an quirky shape to an otherwise very wearable look. Cuts are asymmetrical and mismatched, with a slanting neckline on a royal purple blouse, and a black blazer crafted with windows of fabric sliced out. A juicy red dress comes alive with knots added to both the cuffs and at the centre, enhancing the shape of the body. Movement plays a key role in the collection with woolly tassels adding flamboyance to the cuffs of a floor-sweeping maxi dress and thick rectangular fringing hemming the ankles of a jumpsuit. The collection is studded, literally, with gold and silver embellishments. Slouchy ankle boots, patent leather heels and  chocolate and terracotta suede bags are all embellished with mixed metal studs. 

John Lewis x A.W.A.K.E. MODE offers accessible avant-garde and is a very welcome offering for today’s high street fashion. Even if you don’t need to replace your hoover, or buy more pots and pans just yet, John Lewis has just given us 46 reasons to run before the collection is snapped up. So get there fast.