A blood-red horizon stretches beyond a glittering expanse of blue water. Black cliffs, silhouetted against the setting sun, appear like martian craters, and behind them the sky melts between soft pastel hues of pink, orange and purple. This could well be the setting of a new sci-fi epic or the mesmerising abstract colours of a Rothko masterpiece but it’s the opening scene of Alyx‘s new collection video, beautifully shot on 16mm film by London based photographer, cinematographer and director, Jordan Hemingway.

Set on the volcanic coastline of Stromboli, the Aeolian island provides the perfect sense of other-worldliness for a collection characterised by its innovative materials and futurist forms. Stretch and soft fabrics, the sort that creative director Matthew Williams introduced last season, return here across both men’s and women’s looks. Coloured bikinis are matched with leggings and shirt dresses made from a fast-drying technical fabric that brings both an elevated sense of occasion and a full range of motion. Men’s looks are given a more substantial silhouette, with vests and jackets reminiscent of motorcycle body armour, complete with a protective back panel rendered in leather.

The climax of this innovative streak comes with the collection’s beaded embellishments: shimmering, hand-sewn constellations that make up a series of tops, dresses and skirts. These beads are fastidiously applied onto a delicate organza base using over 320 meters of thread and 18,000 beads to form a fluid, protean matrix that is brought to life by movement and sunlight. On the subject of things that sparkle, the hardware pieces we’ve come to expect from Williams featured prominently in a film where reflection was a major theme, while the brand’s Mono shoe is reincarnated here into a pair of breathable sliders and a new hiking sneaker.