GEORGIE’S REVIEW: PRONOUNCE SS21
Mon 13 Jul
‘Slow Down’ say Pronounce of their Pre-Spring 21 capsule collection, another brand finding inspiration in this new world of isolation we’re experiencing. Yushan Li and Jun Zhou, the design duo behind Pronounce, are taking things slower, they’re pausing to stop, reflect and take a breath. Their designs for this collection do the same. ‘A visual response to the year 2020,’ Pronounce’s capsule collection is pensive, inviting the wearer or the onlooker to pause, take a second look and to enjoy the process of getting dressed.
Take the button-up adaptable two piece for example, both jacket and trousers can become cropped, but rather than an invisible seam or zip, these have large, deliberate buttons that tuck into sizeable hoops. Once removed from their counterparts, the jacket and shorts are left with these dramatic empty hoops as a trim, almost as if scalloping. There’s a slowness that comes with the removal or adjusting of these garments too. It’s measured and considered.
Accompanied by John Donne’s poem No Man is an Island, the collection nods to the unifying circumstances the pandemic has pushed us toward. Sea-side emblems throughout the capsule are riffing off the poem’s water motifs. A black netted jumper and delicate crab embroidery on pockets encapsulate the oceanic depths cited as references, as too do the tie-dye trousers. Shirting with dramatic folds draws the eye to linger longer, hinting at a slight maritime feel. With an invitingly calm collection, Pronounce encourage us to ‘Slow down. Listen to the sound of water. Enjoy every second with your partner.’