Kink and Kircher: Leo Prothmann SS27

Heading to the Mandrake Hotel on Saturday evening with notebook in tow and energy beginning to wane from the bustle of afternoon shows, we weren’t exactly sure what to expect from Leo Prothmann’s LFW presentation, but knew we were ready to sit down. Luckily for us, what the German-Spanish designer had in store for the debut showcase of SS27 collection Marcella was far more enticing than a moment of rest.

Upon entering, guests are given a scannable wristband made of Silverfin fish leather, an invasive species in Florida waters from which Leo, with the help of Invera Leathers, has created many of his pieces. We’re then escorted downstairs to COOC Club, a lush basement bar and lounge that pulses with techno.

Leo’s models dance mainly on one side of the room, though they also intermingle with the audience. In the centre of the room is a gimp in black latex lying on a red leather bed. Leo’s background in expressionist painting is immediately perceptible. The collection is inspired by the painting that made him want to become an artist, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s Street, Berlin (1913), which is a dark depiction of figures from 1910s Berlin nightlife. Leo bases his looks on ten Kirchner paintings, drawing on the artist’s colour palette and tense distortion. Coloured leather, a nod to Leo’s equestrian background, features in almost every look. The makeup too is especially colourful. A highlight is the green eyeshadow with small sections of fake eyelashes underneath the eyes on one of the models, a styling that felt just slightly uncanny. The looks are modelled by figures from queer nightlife, including Dahc Demur, Tintin Freeman and Jane Grey, a dominatrix who recently won Sex Worker of the Year in the Sexual Freedom Awards. The whole event has us craving the club and we give in to the temptation to dance along.

The presentation’s main event is a performance by queer underground superstar Sissy Misfit, who sings a track from her album Sissy Fxxxcking Misfit, released earlier this year. Like Leo himself, Sissy has worked with Rick Owens on a number of projects, including most recently creating the soundtrack for Rick’s SS27 “Stone” which debuted in Paris in June. Leo’s collaboration with Rick goes back to 2023 when he first received a DM from the designer. He has incorporated several Rick Owens archive shoes into this collection, which he painted with animal patterns inspired by the paintings of Kirchner.

The collection has involved collaboration with various other artists and designers to source and work the fabrics. Muirhead Leather helped to provide deadstock and damaged hides originally intended for Aston Martin cars. Rescuing 50kg of deadstock denim from a Luton warehouse, Leo upcycles the materials that would otherwise have gone to landfill into pieces such as the full-length distressed denim dress that perfumier John Foley models. Much of his knitwear, provided by Last Yarn, is also distressed, an approach that is new to this collection. His previous work has included frayed hems but has not been distressed to this extent. This punk aesthetic fits well with his increased engagement with kink, which we see both in the presentation setup and in features of the garments such as straps and studs. Leo’s use of kink feels fresh, in large part because of the colour, which is a difficult achievement when fashion has been drawing on that world for so long. Combining leather and animal patterns, he draws a powerful link between the rural, high glamour and underground club worlds. It’s no surprise to learn that Leo listens to techno while he works. Leo Prothmann brings the energy to London Fashion Week when we need it most, and we look forward to seeing how the brand continues to develop for AW27 and beyond.