To be a Mark Fast woman, you have to be bold, daring and untamed, preferably in barely-there knitwear. Sensual yet extremely edgy, the models looked almost otherworldly as they strutted down the runway in intricately woven pieces that clung to the body. Body-hugging silhouettes, knitted bodysuits, dresses and skirts moved through powdered tones, earthy browns, muted greens and, eventually, deep black. The collection felt like a Mad Max-meets-1970s fantasy, with Fast turning his signature knitwear into something both seductive and slightly feral.
Called Primal Glamour, the SS27 collection explores the tension between instinct and control, drawing heavily from the glamour and imagery of 1970s cinema. One of Fast’s key references was Veruschka — the iconic German model photographed by Franco Rubartelli in the desert, often surrounded by imagery of animals and nature. That sense of the wild translated into the collection’s earthy palette and exposed, almost primitive construction. The designs were a celebration of Fast’s signature knitwear, with knitted webs, crochet, laddered detailing and long fringes forming intricate patterns across the body. The clothes seemed to exist somewhere between clothing and a second skin, revealing flashes of the body through intricate cut-outs and varying degrees of transparency. Some pieces were embellished with beads woven directly into the knit, adding texture and dimension to the otherwise delicate constructions. The sand and cream looks stood out the most, with intricate crochet bodysuits and jumpsuits trailing with loose strands of fringe, creating movement with every step. Oversized circular earrings and stacked bangles further amplified the collection’s almost tribal, tactile aesthetic.
Fast also brought back the body-conscious language of the early 2000s through tightly wrapped, bandage-like skirts and tops. Ribbed knit pieces hugged the body in horizontal strips, broken up by deliberate cut-outs that revealed skin underneath beautifully. In contrast, washed brown denim introduced a tougher, utilitarian edge through fitted jackets and trousers featuring ribbed panels and sharp seams. The beauty echoed this rawness with heavily smudged eyes, glossy muted lips and tousled, undone hair, giving the models a rebellious, almost nocturnal quality. Against the intricate precision of Fast’s knitwear, the deliberately undone styling added another layer to the collection’s tension between control and instinct.
What made Primal Glamour feel distinctly Mark Fast was its ability to make sensuality feel almost rebellious. Rather than hiding the body, the collection celebrated it through garments that stretched, wrapped, exposed and moved with it. Between the intricate knitwork, skin-baring silhouettes and darker styling, Fast created a woman who feels part 1970s siren, part Y2K rebel and undeniably fierce.
