John Richmond RTW Spring 2023

The now Web3-focused John Richmond was expected to host a “phygital” runway experience this September with NFT galore, fashion crafted in the metaverse and IRL counterparts paraded on the runway.

But digital fashion can have its supply snafus, too, and so the brand mounted a party extravaganza inviting famous Italian rapper Sfera Ebbasta to perform for cheering and dancing guests in what was a recreated version of Studio 54.

There was a collection, too, which Richmond described as a capsule capturing the zeitgeist of ‘70s disco music and nightclub scene, their hedonism serving as the undercurrent for the lineup.

 “When you talk about hedonism, it’s either ancient Rome or Studio 54,” the British designer said amid loud music and cheering guests. He didn’t recant his punk heart and embedded his rock ‘n’ roll aesthetics into overtly sexy gear for cocky men and women.

Sequined minidresses had shoulder-revealing cutouts, sheer frocks had see-through, bosom-baring bodices punctuated by studs or dotted in black crystals designing a spider’s net. An hourglass-y number in nude pink was cut out as to mimic the torso’s bone structure.

These unapologetic women were flanked by boys with a similar penchant for excess, here exemplified in the use of bold colors as in emerald green suits covered in tiny crystals in the shape of snakes, pink numbers with built-in pleated kilts and yellow tracksuits bearing rose and flame prints.

Judging from the crowd, one could tell Richmond knows what his party queens and kings want to look like. What about his avatars in the metaverse?