Pampilion: Dai Rees S/S 1998 Couture Collection of Millinery
*Pampilion was a fur used in the 15th and 16th centuries for the trimming of garments and hats; as well as the name of the animal – its identity now unknown – that bore this fur. Clark commissioned a collection of couture millinery for its inaugural exhibition at once placing it as an alternative platform from which to present collections, and draw attention to the sculptural qualities of the headdresses against the white walls of the new space. Rees had recently created the head pieces for Alexander McQueen’s La Poupee S/S 1997 catwalk show, which had been endlessly reproduced in the fashion media as representing the extreme styling that was becoming synonymous with end of the 20th century’s avant-garde fashion. Artist Mat Collishaw was commissioned to photograph the hats not on a model but on the protagonist of one of his videos.
