LFW AW26 - Rafael Azevedo: O Que Fica - Confronting Grief Through Embodied Storytelling

Rafael Azevedo is a London-based Portuguese designer, studying at London College of Fashion, whose collections are driven by the preservation of cultural craftsmanship and emotional storytelling. His first collection, Raizes, was designed and released at the age of 18, solidifying his brand identity and putting his name forward in the fashion world. Two years and two London Fashion Weeks later, at age 20, Azevedo’s newest collection O Que Fica was shown to the public.  O Que Fica, meaning “What Stays...” is a collection which symbolises grief, loss, and its manifestation seen through fabric, texture, and silhouette. The brand’s inclination toward storytelling and emotional, embodied experience was demonstrated during the show. O Que Fica spans over fourteen looks, circulating the transformation of life after death and loss and how such grief manifests. Each design carefully embodied “What Stays” - the collection's ethos - demonstrating the way fashion can become a medium of storytelling. 

From corsets to lace crochets, this collection was masterfully curated to refigure the body's relationship with a more intangible, meta experience. One of the pieces and performances which stuck out during the show was look fourteen: Elysium. This design incorporated sheer textures, corset structures and heavy drapery - each encased in pearls. I felt that this design truly embodied how grief manifests; it is not a fixed structure, nor is it one texture or design, rather it is an amalgamation of different feelings and emotions which culminate as textual entanglement on the body.  Each piece of O Que Fica carried emotion; it carried a sense of purpose and demanded attention. It was a confronting collection which I will regularly revisit in my memory box as a reminder of my own grief and how I can challenge it through fashion. 

STRAND had the privilege of interviewing Rafael about his collection and his brand, Rafael Azaevedo. 

This collection, O Que Fica, you described as ‘heartbreak lingering in the body and mind,’ which piece would you say reflects this the most, and why?  

I would say that our look, called Holy Flesh, represents the theme well; it is made from vintage handmade Madeiran lace crochet and adorned with pearls and lace, cascading off the body. This look represents the fragility of human emotion and its web-like complexities; the pearls represent stains which linger. 

The collection tells a story about grief and how that becomes you. How do the designs reflect that? From their flowy, draped silhouettes, to their tights corsets - tell me about your thought process here.

The collection follows a story: she begins as an innocent, light and bright, yet she is stained. This stain progressively gets darker and more destructive, which showcases the inner battle. The irregular drapes represent the fluidity of our emotions in a state of grief; how we don’t move in a linear manner, there are ebbs and flows. 

The fabrics used in this collection: sheer, lace, and crochets - what about them reminded you of O Que Fica , and why did they do so?

The fabric choices were very intentional. I wanted you to look at them and be reminded of a Mediterranean home, a sense of nostalgia that I carry throughout all my work. All the fabrics used were deadstock or reclaimed, and the crochet was imported straight from the island of Madeira, from the hands of my family.  The fabrics tell their own story, harbouring their own feelings, and I wanted to honour that.

Your previous collections and designs dabble in colour and pattern work, but this collection remained neutral in its palette - why? 

I kept the collection very neutral as I noticed that when you enter this sense of despair and grief, you feel sucked of all the colour in your life and are left with what remains - a blank canvas. 

The show had a very Gothic atmosphere, even more so when the models broke from their poised, statue-like poses to move freely. What made you choose to tell the collection’s story this way? 

The collection was created in a circular way; the start was the end, and the end was the start. The beginning shows opposites, the before and after and then it goes into the present with the constant movement of the models moving up and down. Then there is a break, and the ballet starts, which acts as a memory of what happened, the push and pull. This break shows how we reminisce about parts of our lives even when we want to forget. Then, the loop starts again, and we break from the binary structure, and we glitch. My vision with this structure was to show the distress from within which we try to conceal.

I have always found fashion to be an embodied story, with the clothes telling the story. What story were you telling here? 

My intention was to incorporate emotion into fashion and demonstrate how this medium can begin conversations which help those to heal from their wounds, especially regarding grief. 

Previous collections, like Amor Perdido, use the female body as its muse, but this season we saw masculine silhouettes. How did that decision come about, and is there a future of more masculine pieces coming to Rafael Azevedo? 

The shift to menswear was almost abrupt. I had never intended for the collection to be centred around the male form,  but as a man myself, I think it’s important to show the femininity of man and how emotions and feelings transcend gender constructions. I find the viewer is able to relate to the collection more if they can see themselves in it.

Your style of design integrates structure, specifically in the corset form. Why? What does it represent to you?  

Corsetry has been something that we’ve played with from the start, but in this collection, I’d describe them as constricting, hugging and clinging to the body in a similar way to how our thoughts and feelings cling to us, forcing accountability to free ourselves of the constriction within the body and soul. 

Your brand remains a cultural heritage site for Portuguese craftsmanship. What elements of said craftsmanship did you incorporate into O Que Fica? 

The traditional fabrics we use come straight from Madeira and are loosely based on designs from Madeiran traditional outfits, such as bullfighting outfits and traditional shorts with embroidery, all of which allow me to incorporate my multi-ethnic background into my designs and pay homage to each culture. 

Lastly, this collection was shown in the stunning St James Garlickhythe Church. What about this venue spoke to you, and how do you think it brought O Que Fica to life? 

The collection was shown in a church, as stated within the poem, which was read out loud in the original language, Portuguese. In the poem, I wrote “no faith or tears “ can wash away my pain, showing how, when we are hurt so deeply, we return to old comforts. Religion, for me, acts as a way to blame something else for what happened. This, I recognise,  is not the healthiest relationship to have with religion, nor is it the best way to deal with our emotions; however, it is what I know to be the reality of grief, which is what I wanted to showcase. 

Images Courtesy of Chidism

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Edited by Arielle Sam-Alao, Co-Fashion Editor