Cardinal is seventyfive’s fourth collection. C ardinal i s a r eflection on 1930s female androgyny, as understood through archival photos from 1930s China and as interpreted by seventyfive’s lead designer, Janny Ye.
Cardinal’s garments emerged from our engagement with the contributors to the 1930s Chinese women’s magazine, Linglong. In Linglong, we found reader contributed photos of women in androgynous looks, mixing mens and womens garments, and being subversive with their fashion. We followed these magazine archives as they took us on a journey to Europe and North America. We found inspiration for Cardinal from androgynous looks from around the world, but the Chinese androgyny displayed in Linglong is central to this collectioin.
Building on this archival research, Cardinal is a collection of eleven outfits designed for S/S 23. Cardinal’s garments are designed and made in North London, and Cardinal makes use of screen printed cotton corduroy, hand printed vintage fabrics from China and a selection of ethically sourced, organic or handmade cotton fabrics.