Triptych from Identity Decay, 2017: an iridescent silk suit with a red silk blouse, a cotton velvet top with a panelled silk skirt, and a patterned denim jacket with a silk blouse and red vinyl skirt.

Identity Decay, 2017 — Diploma Collection. The Lookbook.

If the editorial is the dream, the lookbook is the moment you wake up and look closely.

These images were made against a plain white wall, with nothing to distract from the clothes themselves. No coloured light, no scene, no set. Just the cut, the fabric and the way each piece sits on the body.

It’s where you can see the contradictions the collection was built on. Silk suit trousers constructed like jeans. A patent sweatshirt with full, gathered sleeves and tiny buttoned cuffs. A red silk jacket with black lapels, a tuxedo that refuses to be formal. A vest cut from transparent vinyl. Shine against matte, softness against stiffness, the noble next to the synthetic.

Every appliqué was laser-cut from silk, vinyl and reclaimed leather and sewn on by hand, and the offcuts became pockets and small finishes rather than waste.

Here is the collection, piece by piece.

Front and back of a patterned denim jacket with a storm flap and gun flap by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, worn over a teal silk blouse with long cuffs and a red vinyl pencil skirt with a back slit.
Front and side of a black silk organza trench coat by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, with hand-cut sequin appliqués in silk, vinyl and reclaimed leather, transparent brown vinyl pockets and a tulle underlayer.
A red patent vinyl blouse with balloon sleeves and an elasticated hem by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, shown in profile and full length with red silk trousers and a black waistband.
A sheer black silk organza shirt dress with balloon sleeves and deep cuffs by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, with a hand-cut sequin appliqué panel, shown full length and in close-up.
Front and back of a cropped black cotton velvet jacket with laser-cut circle panels by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, worn with a panelled silk skirt in burgundy, red and teal with a back slit.
Front and back of an iridescent teal silk suit with a long jacket, black silk satin shawl lapels and wide trousers by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, worn over a red silk blouse with long sheer cuffs.
A red mesh midi dress with hand-cut sequin appliqués in silk and vinyl by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, shown full length and in close-up.
A laser-cut orange vinyl waistcoat by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, worn over a sheer black silk chiffon jumpsuit with wide legs and buttoned cuffs, shown full length and in close-up.
A translucent orange vinyl sleeveless coat with patch pockets and side slits by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, worn over a black bra top and high-waisted briefs, shown full length and in close-up.
A cropped red silk tuxedo jacket with black silk satin lapels and ties by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, worn with sheer black silk organza wide trousers, shown in close-up and full length.
A red silk tuxedo jacket with black silk satin peak lapels by Laura Achrem, Identity Decay, 2017, worn over a cropped teal silk top with patterned denim trousers and sheer black gloves, shown full length and in close-up.
Details.

Details from Identity Decay by Laura Achrem, 2017: the sculpted balloon sleeve and buttoned tab of a red patent vinyl sweatshirt, and hand-cut sequins in silk, vinyl and reclaimed leather on a black organza trench coat.
Details from Identity Decay by Laura Achrem, 2017: a laser-cut orange vinyl waistcoat with topstitched edges over a sheer black silk chiffon jumpsuit, and a laser-cut circle panel on a cropped black cotton velvet jacket.
Details from Identity Decay by Laura Achrem, 2017: hand-cut sequins in silk, vinyl and reclaimed leather scattered across the storm flap and shoulders of a black organza trench coat, seen from behind and in close-up.
Details from Identity Decay by Laura Achrem, 2017: hand-cut sequin and button appliqués on a sheer black silk organza shirt dress with balloon sleeves, and the back of a laser-cut orange vinyl waistcoat with topstitched seams.

Details from Identity Decay by Laura Achrem, 2017: hand-cut red silk and vinyl sequins on a red mesh dress, and sheer teal silk cuffs under a patterned denim jacket worn with a red vinyl skirt with a topstitched pocket.

Details from Identity Decay by Laura Achrem, 2017: the buttoned cuff and flap pocket with black piping of a red silk tuxedo jacket, worn with patterned denim trousers with transparent brown vinyl back pockets and sheer black gloves.

Collection and art direction: Laura Achrem
Photography: Klaudyna Młynarska
Assistant: Patrycja Biernaczyk
Make-up: Magdalena Sensmęcka
Models: Klaudia Żogała, Sonia Żogała
Graduation collection “Identity Decay – Artificial Worlds”, School of Form, SWPS University, Poznań, 2017.

See the same collection in film light in the Identity Decay editorial, or read what this thesis taught me nine years later in Identity Decay, on Notes on Eternity.

— Laura Achrem
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