London Fashion Week 2011: Oliver Ruuger

Set in the stunning upper gallery of the Freemason’s Hall, Vauxhall Fashion Scout present Oliver Ruuger’s SS12 range. A graduate of the London College of Fashion, Oliver Ruuger’s MA collection of umbrellas, sculptural saddles, briefcases and hats is a result of a personal design exploration that turns the everyday accessory on its head with stunning results.

Specifically choosing materials that would convey emotion to all who set eyes upon the pieces, ritualistic materials such as leather and horse hair play a key role . For Ruuger, it was paramount to his collection that he make everything himself, as these pieces would not fall prey to accompaniment and act as an accessory to something else but have a place in their own right.  A spectacle in themselves, each accessory possesses an Avant-garde twist, from curled and spiked handles to waterfalls of blonde, brown and chestnut horse hair. With oversized yet understated black brollies skilfully hanging above our very heads, it was  hard not to feel that the collection exuded the Magritte painting of quintessential Britishness, the missing bowler hat only to be located on the opposite side of the room complete with detached hairpiece. Now, it’s common knowledge by now that the ponytail is the must have hairstyle for Autumn and Winter, but on the end of an umbrella? Elements of the surreal were accentuated by the Father time-esque figure, posing with each piece, mounted upon the walls . The typicality of a lowly umbrella and stereotypically English bowler reach unusual heights in this curiously innovative collection leaving the bowler on my very own head feeling a little bland!