As with most brands, big and small, 2020 has been a year of reset. For Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault, partners in business and life, the duo spent a substantial part of lockdown separated: Knowles in Devon with her parents with Arsenault remaining in their south London home. Connecting across zoom and calls, they used their downtime to research fabrics and focus on expanding into accessories production.

Presenting their SS21 collection as a fashion film directed by Harley Weir and titled Petals, models are seen spinning on rotating platforms with footage intercut with time-lapses of flowers blossoming in a fast-paced 360-degree aspect as a nod to Knowles and Arsenault’s experience of the ceaseless and cyclical nature of the fashion system, but also hopeful to what is to come.

The collection itself embodies this hopeful note, taking inspiration from pop culture and fashions of the early 2000s juxtaposed with the ‘flower power’ movement that emerged in the late 60s in opposition to the Vietnam War. Merging these two eras, we got 00s denim (slim to a kick-flare) and the kind of sheer tops Paris Hilton still rocks. Elsewhere the 60s/70s mid-point manifested as psychedelic patterns that swirled like kool-aid spills, while western jackets and studded suede reminded us of the beatnik bands that soundtracked the era’s trip.

“We were wondering: what will come out of this moment as important?” said the designers. “The idea of making beautiful pieces that last. When everything is so uncertain, we wanted to make something really creative, positive and uplifting. This collection came out of trying to feel something good.”