Gareth Pugh is to kick off the spring/summer 2015 show season at New York Fashion Week with an off-schedule 'immersive live performance'.
London-based showman Pugh known for his dark, dramatic and sinister aesthetic is a Paris Fashion Week regular (he has shown his past six collections in the French capital), but, for one season only, he's preparing to shake things up Stateside instead.
'Theres a point at which old archetypes need to change,' he told The New York Times of the project.
'Fashion is very stuck in its ways, and I wanted to present something that would make people think, and maybe move the needle a bit.'
Pugh will replace the traditional catwalk set-up with video and live dancers to make his audience 'think' about fashion even if that does mean he won't be able to show his spring/summer 2015 collection in its entirety.
The designer noted, 'I know this is a business, and we need to sell clothes, but it is also about image and inspiration, and sometimes a live show can miss the mark a bit.'
'The lights go up, the model walks out, and you lose control of it.
'Its really important to not only communicate, "This is a nice dress" or "This is a cool trouser," but to sell the dream.'
He added that he is in talks with dance troupe Random Dance and Wayne McGregor - resident of the Royal Ballet in London, no less but plans to return to business as usual in Paris come show time in February.
