BIGGER THAN EVER: This year’s Eurovision winner Nemo Mettler, known professionally as just Nemo, will perform in London on Saturday at the Royal Academy as part of fashion label Harri’s latest presentation, WWD has learned exclusively.
The nonbinary Swiss singer, known for bold and gender-bending fashion choices, will be wearing “probably one of the biggest inflatable dresses ever” created by the brand as the singer stages their Eurovision-winning performance “Break the Code” in London for the first time during the fashion event, according to Harri founder Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai.
“This couture piece was meticulously handcrafted for more than 300 hours by six people. It is quite an enormous piece, probably as big as half the size of the bus,” he added.
The India-born designer, who made global headlines last year for dressing Sam Smith in a bouncy latex suit on the red carpet of the Brit Awards, said he has been pushing himself for two years to unlearn the boundaries of design.
“I constantly get inspired by performance, movement and sculpture. I always strive to create nonconforming, genre-bending, authentic pieces of work that push the boundaries of fashion. Therefore, I wanted to work with someone who aligns with my vision and sensibilities,” he said.
“Nemo was undoubtedly the perfect choice. Their personality and philosophy stand to defy the constructs, and their music is iconic. A talented artist with strong ideologies perfectly reflects everything that we do here at Harri,” he added.
The presentation will take place at the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre inside the Royal Academy of Arts. The designer said he took inspiration from the almost divine aura of the room as well as its impressive size when designing the gigantic dress for Nemo.
“The white walls and circular benches are reminiscent of a church, evoking a sense of inner tranquillity found in a spiritual sanctuary,” he said.
The Harri presentation is part of the British Fashion Council’s three-day showcase running between June 7 and 9 that looks at themes such as craftsmanship, culture and wellness.
The weekend’s activities include runway shows by Denzilpatrick, Charles Jeffrey Loverboy and Qasimi, presentations by designers and brands including Claudia Wang and Laura Andraschko, and panel discussions such as an introduction to Savile Row with the high-end streetwear brand Clothsurgeon, Gieves & Hawkes, Richard James, The London Academy of Bespoke and The Deck, the first women’s tailor with a street-level shop on Savile Row.
“I genuinely want to thank the British Fashion Council for shifting the attention to culture and craft rather than the traditional runway. As a label, we want to stand for innovation, and craftsmanship, and produce special and unique fashion pieces and moments,” said the Harri founder.