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Imp of the perverse fashion8/4/2023 All I knew at the time was the Furs’ guitarist had taught Andrew Eldritch how to self-produce, back in their post-punk days. On the pavement itself were sun-bleached cassettes of Canto-Pop, and the records were 90% Chinese opera, but the three I found that weren’t 70s soft-rock (Bread, Mud, Rod Stewart) were: The Beatles’ Blue and Red albums, and the Psychedelic Furs’ Book of Days. This was where I found an old man sitting on the pavement, away from any other shops, or even stalls, selling vinyl-LPs out of an incredibly antiquated perambulator, with an umbrella perched over it (black and spiky as the Bat-sign). This being Hong Kong, former-industrial districts had no hope of being colonized by hipsters, or even being brightened up by graffiti, so I might as well have been in post-war Europe. In fact, I did find myself in an exceptionally Gothic-looking, industrial district of crumbling factories, broken windows, and pale skull-like faces staring from the gantries of factory windows, with loading-cranes overhead like a gallows’ arm. One close, clinging day of drizzle and weak sun, I set off for a distant corner of Kowloon, aiming for the end of the line (that most portentous of places, on the map, but usually just a Croydon or Streatham, when you get there). On the other side of the world, Britpop was peaking, but I was still months away from my first taste of clubbing in late-night expeditions to Camden, having snuck out of boarding school, which meant I was also months away from any kind of proximity to girls, under-age drinking, and waking up in strange places. I was living in the neon-and-smog metropolis of Hong Kong, in the last year of Britain’s 99-year lease on the place, which makes me 16 and especially attuned to romantic despair. More than most records I own – and I have a freakish memory for the circumstances in which I acquired most of them – Book of Days came into my possession in a most unlikely way. So what if an album by a major label band is out of print, and few (if any) songs from it appear on those compilations with the tacky names? Some soft-rock peddlers ran out of tunes five years after having a hit with “Pretty in Pink” (of all songs!) – who cares? If you happen to know they were on a major label for their entire career, you’ll be even more surprised (or disappointed) to see one of their albums in this series. Buttons, which adorned most of the clothes, faintly echoed the work of the late Judy Blame.For anyone born in the 80s or later (I’m a ’79-er myself), it’s possible you think of the Furs as an also-ran with an awful name. A wet-look dress, cast to the human body, had been formed using heavy-duty adhesive and black ink, and other pieces were treated with painterly prints by artist Jack Laver. Heavy wool and velvet, in a muted and monochrome colour palette (aside from some flourishes of blood red and deep purple here and there), formed jackets and pinstriped trousers. “The fabric would have otherwise gone to waste and I grabbed as much as I possibly could,” explains the designer. Each look worn by his cast of characters was tailored lovingly from deadstock fabrics, sourced from a factory that was changing ownership. I truly believe that there is a way to do that with clothes,” says Long. Why do I want it? “Sometimes, when you leave a fashion show you think, ‘wow, what world have I just been in?’ and that’s really what I’m trying to achieve with Parabola Works – to make people feel something. ![]() Devised in partnership with movement director Reginald Robson, the show featured insects that were ground to a pulp behind a glass box, wine being poured into a cup before the bottle was promptly smashed over the drinker’s head, and – as Long’s ensemble cast of friends walked about the show space to a spine-tingling soundtrack by Akira Woodgrain – wailing extras chasing each other, bashing themselves against the brick walls of the warehouse in the process. Imp of The Perverse did just that, with some audience members even moved to tears. ![]() ![]() With Parabola Works, the designer is now combining his two first loves, clothing and food, through craftsmanship and performance-based experiences, designed to appeal to the senses. Long, who previously collaborated closely with Samuel Ross at A-COLD-WALL*, is also a trained chef, having worked at the likes of Copenhagen’s Noma.
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