«I measure my success by cultural impact,» interview with Harri The latex designer talks about the inspiration behind his first Womenswear collection

His designs envelop the body and expand into the air like multiform balloons, but Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai, known in the art (and as a brand) as Harri, is a creative with his feet on the ground. Thanks to his talent in pattern making and a past in bodybuilding, Harri has made a name for himself with his original approach to creating revolutionary and alien shapes of garments crafted in very few color variants. Why so few variants? There are two reasons: the first is that he is colorblind, the second is that the primary material he uses, latex, is only supplied to him in sample productions, hence in black. Then comes the creation of the actual garments: in the past, Harri drew inspiration from bodybuilding, even trying to imagine a collection from the point of view of his pug. But for the SS25 collection, showcased at the recent London Fashion Week, the designer looked outside his studio: «I was taking a break and started looking at the trees», recalls the designer. «There are two of them, but they are joined at the root and are effectively one». From that image came some of the most striking looks from his latest show, outfits designed for a pair of twins who moved in unison down the runway. With dresses that hugged the models, emphasizing their curves, and details like nipples and abs, with folds and bulges flowing over the hips and shoulders like transparent liquid, the brand's first womenswear collection showcased Harri's talent for designing for the female body. As he tells us, he started as a menswear designer («I began studying fashion by deconstructing my own clothes», he said) but womenswear makes him feel freer.  

The self-awareness that Harri has developed over these seven years at the helm of an independent brand is also reflected in how he relates to the fashion industry. It’s an industry that will never change, he says, so the only thing he can do is improve the system in which he operates. «I have a good culture in my workspace, I have two beautiful people who work with me», says the designer, who has recently been collaborating with two recent graduates who, like him years ago, are eager to learn by working. «Sharing is the biggest happiness in my life». Together with his business partner, who was once his best friend but is now «something more», Harri is working on building a cohesive community for the brand, a work of consistency that, for him, is worth more than anything else. «It’s really difficult being a designer in this time of celebrity endorsements and big marketing stunts», he says, «people’s attention span is shrinking, and you’re expected to always do more, which is not very healthy». Harri's reflections, so wise and thoughtful, reveal all the optimism that the designer holds for the future, a positive vision of fashion that all emerging creatives, no matter how pressured they feel by the public and industry expectations, should cultivate. But Harri doesn’t want to be called a realist. «My work is fantasy, it's not based on reality. I don’t have dream projects but I dream about my work». Then he adds, «the twins were a dream, the triplets were a dream: I need some time to dream».