LFW AW25 - INF DARK - The Raven: On The Catwalk

1 day ago3 min read

Situated in a space tucked away just a few turns from Brick Lane I meandered the streets of Shoreditch leading up to the venue of the INF Dark show. Whilst I did have initial fears that I may get lost, there was ultimately no doubt I was in the right place. The streets outside of the show were flooded with fluorescent outfits and cameras everywhere, documenting those within the queue and the entrance of the occasion.

Founded in 2011, INF Dark is a Taiwanese brand that proclaims to specialise in “transformable pieces”, and upon learning of this it became all the more crucial that I draw my attention to this aspect within their collection. Historically they have been known to change pieces from one into another, “transformable”, in this collection, took on a more figurative meaning and was seen through the movement of pieces from stationary to mobile, as well as their unconventional styling.

Walking through the aisles to my seat, there was a hum of excitement as people found their places and began to anticipate the show. The room was full to the brim, with some having seated tickets and others in the standing area holding their phones as high as their arms would allow them in order to see the runway. The bright lights dimmed and the room went almost entirely dark as an ominous tune began to play and a hush took over the room. With that, the INF Dark logo was displayed on the floor to ceiling screen and the models began to emerge from behind it. As each model showcased the looks one after another the breadth of variety in fabrics, patterns and silhouette became undeniably striking.

The INF Dark show was filled with unique motifs and sombre colours. As I dwelled on the notion of ‘The Raven', as is the name of the collection, I recalled the distinctive walk of one of the models. She walked with her hips protruded forwards, shifting her upper body weight backwards and staring determinedly straight ahead, her gaze unwavering and intense. Here, her posture imbued the pieces she wore with a zoomorphism, creating the effect of her arms as the wings of the raven and her concentrated vision as that of the unnerving watchful eye of the raven.

More visibly, many of the pieces consisted of various attached panels, covering the black fabric and moving at different times as the wind buffeted underneath them, creating a truly raven effect. Other looks involved a mesh overlay, simulating a layer of feathers over the initial layer of fabric. As the model walked in these layered trousers, the mesh outer layer interacted with both the air and the other side of the trousers, leading to an incredibly mobile look.

Many of the looks involved a structured shoulder with oversized sleeves which lay at the sides of the models, creating the look of a paper folded wing. By contrast these also displayed various prints in a range of colours - green, white, red and black. These colours contrast the sombreness of the raven silhouette with less natural and more cosmopolitan colourways. This was also seen in the styling, where the lighter coloured dresses were paired with black angular combat boots.

The collection also toyed with length - long dresses or tunics were paired with trousers rather than being worn alone. The subversive ensembles mixed patterns and textures, combining the three dimensional, dynamic tunics with trousers that are simple in structure but complex in pattern and colour. These pieces are a reminder of the versatility of different pieces outside of the INF Dark catwalk, and draw focus to their ethos of sustainability seen in their previous ‘transformable’ pieces.

Coming up to their 15 year anniversary INF Dark has established themselves as a staple for unique structures, mixing both soft and harsh silhouettes resulting in an incredibly wearable but equally individual collection.

All Images Courtesy of Black PR

Written by Maaya Karuppiah

Edited by Daisy Packwood, Fashion Editor