Opera and ballet costumes are given new life in the hands of Louise Xin, a designer and fashion activist working for a sustainable fashion industry. Together with textile and fashion students from the Swedish School of Textiles in Borås, unique couture garments were created from the Royal Opera’s costume archive, which was sold in the autumn for the benefit of the Young Opera Fund, the Royal Opera’s activities for children and young people
The opera Rusalka, heavily inspired by H.C. Andersen’s “The Little Mermaid”, tells a story of transformation. The story explores desire, sacrifice and what we are willing to do to change ourselves and our current circumstances. The final collection shows a four-stage transformation process where the final garment designs communicates the story by moving in between elements.
Visual inspiration came from John William Waterhouse’s painting “Hylas and the Nymphs” (1896) meanwhile the opera “Rusalka” lyrics by Antonín Dvorák (1901) restricted the design choices and guided the design process.
Photography | Royal Opera / Emma Grann
Model | Hermon Fray