Rave Review's spring/summer '24 collection, which doubled as the Swedish brand's Milan debut, leaned into a pared back grunge, emphasising material and craftsmanship
“We’ve been waiting for this moment,” says Josephine Bergqvist of Rave Review’s Milan Fashion Week debut. She’s sitting with her co-designer Livia Schück the day before their upcycled ensembles hit the runway in an opulent space off Piazza del Duomo. “Our fashion is appreciated here,” adds Schück. Ever since the Swedish brand received the Gucci seal of approval by way of participation in both Guccifest and then Guccivault, Milan has felt like a natural fit. Perhaps it’s the more-is-more power clashing or maybe the slinky early-aughts sexuality.
But for SS24, rather than lean into loud prints, Rave Review presented a collection that was notably subdued, with signature tartans rendered in understated brown and beige and lacy dresses and low-slung asymmetrical skirts in black and white. “The colours are a bit more subtle, but that’s just what we felt like doing,” says Schück. In fact, the collection is decidedly grunge – a movement led by pared back, guitar-heavy music and raw, unfinished looks to match. This is a collection that would feel at home on both Courney Love and Kurt Cobain. Fittingly, models walked down the runway to a Nirvana cover of Kate Bush’s 'Wuthering Heights'.
This quieter outing puts the duo’s approach to turning home textiles into garments by way of Frankenstein-esque patchwork into sharp focus. “We’re usually quite asymmetric in our cuts,” notes Bergqvist. Slip dresses seem to snake around the body. Elsewhere, boxy, floor-skimming tartan outerwear – a take on the brand’s smash hit blanket coats – have punky unfinished edges. Also on offer, patchwork denim by way of floor-skimming skirts and super baggy jeans, adorned with floral textiles. “We’ve been doing denim for a couple seasons,” says Schück. “We’re still exploring how to work with it. We’re using secondhand denim, so since we’re not doing washes, we need do it in another way.” Then there are the mismatched florals – upcycled bed linens, mostly – that find their way into oversized zip-up hoodies, dainty mini skirts and flared trousers. “Flowers are something we come back to in the summers,” says Schück.
The florals, the tartans, the lace – this is an exploration of material, which is Rave Review’s primary operative. “We’ve really been thinking: what do we stand for?” Says Schück. “It’s clear what we want to communicate is craftsmanship and material. We just wanted to embrace the material and the craftsmanship as much as possible because that’s such a big part of us.”
See the full Rave Review SS24 collection below:
Rave Review - SS24
