What does clothing mean to its wearer? In its simplest form, clothing protects from the elements – the heat, cold, and rain – but its purpose can be far greater. The garments we choose can imbue us with poise, confidence, and strength as they hug and curve around the body, hiding insecurities and promoting our defining features.

Exploring this concept further, HOME presents Armour, an exhibition celebrating the craft and creation of 11 Black designers: A-COLD-WALL*, Ahluwalia, Àrámìdé, Bianca Saunders, FEBEN, Martine Rose, Olubiyi Thomas, Tolu Coker, TSAU, Walé Adeyemi and Wesley Harriott.

‍

Armour is a tabula rasa – a blank slate – stripping the featured designs of the layers of context an image or runway show provides and enticing you to draw your own conclusions based on primal sensorial instincts.

‍

Hailing from all over the world, each contributor's background is as diverse as their respective approaches. From sensual experimental knitwear, born from pure imagination, to slick architectural shapes akin to sculptures. The nuances between natural and unnatural, colourful and monochrome, rigidity and softness become secondary to the wearer, who brings new life and context based solely on their body’s relationship with the garment.

‍

Here, at HOME, we invite you to immerse yourselves in their chosen designs; feast your eyes, unpick with your mind, and revel in the craftsmanship. Envision how the garments might feel against your skin, the way they would cling or hang from you (or the various bodies around you), providing the armour you need to make your way in the world.

‍

Supported by Gucci