Callie: Can you tell me about the idea behind the Fall 2021 Collection?
Althea: Everything I create is a kind of a progression from the season before. For the 2021 spring collection I was thinking about this sort of mania, of being let out of a cage and feeling wild and free for the first time in at least a year and a half, since lockdown began in March 2020. I think this collective feeling of “being let out of a cage” did come to fruition throughout early spring and summer of this year, so the mood of the South of Berlin Lookbook matched the spirit of the moment.
I feel like when you go from one extreme you go to the other. In designing for the fall collection, I was thinking about this shift from being “out there” and free to something more self-reflective and inward. I was thinking about this act of “going back inside,”—going inside of yourself, inside of your cocoon and into your fantasy world. I want to capture this feeling of comfort.
Callie: Can you tell me more about how this upcoming collection captures those thoughts and feelings?
Althea: In terms of the collection, I am working with a new fabric for the first time in the history of GRAMMAR. It was very important that this collection feel different and feel like a new beginning. I needed a fabric that had a fall/winter feeling, because the poplin, even though I consider it a year round fabric, is definitely more spring than fall. I needed a fabric that was more warm and cozy, something that just feels comfortable and soft on your skin—like a luxurious cocoon.