WRIGHT LE CHAPELAIN have decided to present a collection for the first time. Choosing a heavily trodden path, unloved and mostly overlooked. Argyle Walk sees the many blurred faces of London’s commuters, plugged in and absent-minded without a moment to spare. Four unseen tree beds are repurposed as urban gardens containing a curated selection of plants with medicinal uses including lovage, valerian, and feverfew as well as edible varieties; chives, Moroccan mint, sweet cicley, and rue. With the changing seasons, perennials come and go, foxgloves fertilize the ferns as they perish.

Like the tree beds, the collection draws its strength from founders Vincent & Imogen’s beliefs in repurposing what already exists. The verb upcycle is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as; reuse (discarded objects or material) in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original. Collected and donated by the kilo, each piece was created in partnership with CRISIS, a London-based charity working to end homelessness.

Aiming to continue the conversation of fashion’s waste, the collection begun as a conversation about an issue with no clear solution. How can we leave something behind without incurring greater loss? For WRIGHT LE CHAPELAIN the practice of upcycling whilst presenting the collection in a public venue was also to engage with the residents, commuters and those working in the area sharing another form of giving back to the city.