SRVC Is Equipping The Everyday Super Hero

How far can fashion go in empowering women? The industry’s history of patriarchal pressures to achieve a feminine ideal is sure to leave many of us sceptical. As Gen-Z gravitate towards the cute and coquette — with The Cut dubbing 2023, ‘The Year of the Girl’— is there space for subversive sexuality in this ever-changing landscape? It’s a question I posed to SRVC founder Ricky Wesley Harriott.

‘My narrative of wanting to empower women comes from the only thing I’ve ever really known,’ the designer tells me over Zoom just days before his sophomore show at London Fashion Week. The half-English half Jamaican designer co-founded SRVC in 2021 with Masha, after a stint on the Vetements design team. Last season he made his runway debut with his S/S 24 collection that was met with much critical fanfare for his proposition of sleek femininity, rooted in bold sexuality and functionality as well as his unapologetic inclusivity, showcasing a breadth of size ranges.

For his A/W 24 collection presented at London Fashion Week, Harriott corralled the industry to the back of Senate House in Russell Square. The Gotham-esque, art-deco architecture domineering over a fleet of double-decker buses, that editors, stylists, buyers and SRVC super-fans were escorted onto. As I sat waiting on the upper deck, peering out the window for any sign of sartorial life, that easily distinguished voice blared on the intercom informing passengers that our SRVC journey was about to begin.

Dubbed 'Human Resource', Harriott tells me the collection was inspired by the mundane task of commuting to work. ‘I wanted to tug at the beauty of real life and the discovery that comes with the most mundane things. I’ve lived in London my whole life,’ he explains. ‘I’ve spent 30 years riding public transport. Being inspired, being troubled, being concerned and excited. I wanted to capture that movement and instantaneous magic of the city’.

As the intercom changed to the sound of Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’, models stomped their stilettos up the stairs and down the aisle, clutching the rails and scanning the space as if searching for a seat. The opening look is a full-length tailored jacket with sharp, domineering shoulders, a cinched waist, and a hip-revealing cut-out. Messy windswept hair is kept out of the face with black headbands. It’s this dishevelled refinement that defines Harriott’s brand of cool. ‘She’s always standing tall. She’s always commanding attention. Not in a sexual way, in a ‘get out of my way’ kind of way’,’ he says of the SRVC women.

Utilitarian elements ran rife throughout with the season’s squared shoulder silhouette seen in bomber jackets and cropped trench coats. The former is equipped with a belted strap across the chest. Perfect for today’s metropolitan paratrooper. The colour palette mirrored the industrial aesthetic with muted browns, beige, and charcoal. Peeping under the functional outerwear, are bubble skirts rendered from the same pinstripe cotton as office shirts, creating a captivating tension between the masculine and the feminine.

SRVC’s urban warriors transition seamlessly from their office uniforms to a night out in the brand’s signature evening wear which has made them a favourite for musicians from Kelela to Cardi B. Body-hugging minidresses and bondage straps wouldn’t look out of place on a Friday evening tube journey (or the Saturday morning after) displaying the perfect fusion of sophistication and raw edge. Ingrained in my brain is a python bandeau and trousers set (matching bag included) that harkened to the flamboyant confidence of late 90s hip-hop trendsetters like Lil' Kim and Aaliyah. For accessories, huge hoops and mirrored bangles shine like armour.

Finding strength in the feminine is an idea that Harriott was introduced to in video games and comic books growing up. ‘I was consumed by these female superheroes who could do anything’, he explains. ‘I’m pulling what I loved in the pages and making it a tangible thing you can wear in real life’. Growing up on an estate in Tottenham, he tells me he was raised not only by his mother but the other mothers around him. His comic book fantasies merged with the community of matriarchs who supported him; windows into the strength of womanhood.

‘I’m very interested in the success of women. Being in the creative industries, there’s been a lot of conversation about the lack of female representation, especially in fashion. And the lack of women in powerful positions within fashion. From that standpoint, I’m interested in displaying our woman, going to work looking absolutely ready to take on whatever comes her way and depict a woman who is heading towards nothing but success. She’s clocked, she’s protected, she’s powerful.'

Harriott tells me that he relies on the women on his design team to steer him in the right direction. ‘I’m really conscious of being a man in fashion doing women’s clothing,’ he explains. ‘The first question is always, ‘how do you feel’?. Comfort, to me, is empowerment. Do you feel strong? Strength to me is empowerment.’ It's a collaborative mentality that extends to his customers. ‘I love that feeling when someone puts on one of our jackets or one of our dresses, and you feel them bring it to life as much as it brings them to life. I work towards this symbiosis between the woman and the garment. To me, that’s empowerment.’

Harriott's commitment to showcasing the strength of women goes beyond aesthetics; it's rooted in a deep understanding of the feminine strength he experienced growing up. Influenced by female superheroes from video games and comic books, he transforms his childhood fantasies into realities that suit the challenges of the real world. Achieved through his collaborative understanding of the wearer the women on his design team, ensuring their voices shape the narrative of empowerment in his garments.

His emphasis on how women feel in their attire, coupled with his vision of a symbiotic relationship between the wearer and the garment, reinforces the idea that empowerment is not merely a visual concept but an emotional experience. As SRVC continues to redefine the intersection of fashion and empowerment, Harriott's narrative reflects a genuine and inclusive celebration of the strength, protection, and power embodied by the modern, empowered woman. The superheroes of today.