After showing in London last September, a visit to the British Isles, where New Zealand-based Rory William Docherty was born, meant the house’s instincts turned into something fruitful for his fall collection. “We developed a relationship with Harris Tweed,” the designer said of the highly organized and safe traditional fabric. This visit to the Outer Hebridean Isles by Lewis and Harris sparked something in Docherty, who has Scottish roots. “It was truly impressive to see this level of craftsmanship that has existed for centuries,” he added.
After seeing for the first time how single-origin wool is woven by hand on looms, he turned to his pastels and oil paints—Docherty’s usual first step in creating a collection—to recreate an abstract rendering of the signature herringbone chevron. He “exploded” them on silk shirts and ties, a dress with a tiered bubble skirt and a stunning silk velvet coat with a shawl collar and the exaggerated shoulders of seasons past. In Docherty fashion, she enlisted a local quilter to fill with 100% New Zealand wool (she also incorporates glass beads, Scottish cashmere and handwork from India in support of local makers). He wanted to expand the craft but into something practical and durable. “That’s what I want my clothes to be: a balance of both the practical and the poetic,” she said.
That’s why his pieces evolve slowly each season: he keeps them, like his own blue velvet jacket inherited from his father who made it into his own wardrobe for 47 years. Although her looks were lifted from the ’70s and ’80s, with informed draping and broad shoulders, she styled the pieces with warmth. This time there was more of an envelope, in loose funnel necks, brushed wool stoles, balloon trousers in a shade of purple heather, and a shirt made of intricate loops and folds in a cotton belt that could be pulled into a hood at will.
Doherty is a hands-on, tactile designer, and her crushed silk velvet layered over a black dress or under a discreet suit brought a human touch to the evening’s slinky material. The idea was to take a fabric that you would normally need to be precious with, and create something that could be stuffed into a suitcase and then taken out and whipped up. The same goes for taffetas in champagne and dusty pink, amethyst and sky blue—colors that dance inspired by light-catching sea foam.
There was a sense of belonging throughout, highlighted by one piece in particular—an overlay of trapezoidal panels of ebonized wood from Aotearoa created by Docherty’s partner, designer Jordan Drafin. With Maori and Scottish heritage, this pattern mimics traditional Tokotuku panels, a traditional Maori woven art, and Harris Tweed herringbone motifs. “It’s a very unique pattern, but it’s like a commonality that connects all cultures. And I feel like that’s a really beautiful thing, especially at this time,” Docherty said. Designing with intent and heart is an innovative proposition—and it’s something his customers are responding to.
