MACHINE-A Collaborates With Emerging Designer Paula Canovas del Vas

London-based concept store MACHINE-A has collaborated with Central Saint Martins graduate Paula Canovas del Vas. In a celebration of up-and-coming talent, the boutique has announced its launch of a new capsule collection with the young Spanish designer.

From the Diablo high heel in exclusive colour ways to the Churro bag, pieces reflect the designer's vibrant eclecticism. Since debuting her first collection at Paris Fashion Week for A/W 20, Paula Canovas del Vas’s star has been on the rise. Her Diablo boot was even the subject of media controversy last year when Diet Prada called out Balenciaga’s alleged rip-off of the hoof-inspired boot at their S/S 20 show.

MACHINE-A's collaboration with del Vas has been a long time in the making. Stavros Karelis, MACHINE-A's founder and buying director noted that he's been impressed with the young designer since her student days, collaborating with her on a Nike VaporMax campaign back in 2017, saying, 'What's struck me with her work, since the beginning, is the connection between the human body and the space that her designs illustrate. Her work is defined by volume, proportions, craftsmanship and special materials.'

To mark the new partnership with del Vas, MACHINE-A’s independent store on Brewer Street, Soho, will feature a mixed-media installation made by the designer and her team that tackles the theme of voyeurism by encouraging spectators to view spaces differently. The piece follows in the footsteps of an earlier VR experience del Vas used to present her collection at London Fashion Week in 2019, called 'See, Saw, Seen'.

The collaboration also includes a short film by Belgian artist Wouter Gysemans. Entitled Voyeur, the one-minute short takes you on a journey from the human eye to a surreal three-dimensional landscape, in which a suspended desert island floats amongst cotton-candy clouds. Combing del Vas’ monochromatic aesthetic with Gysemans’ penchant for hyper-saturated tones, the film is a homage to artistic collaboration and experimental exploration.

'At MACHINE-A, we are always looking for cool, innovative ways to tell a story. Through this project, I hope to illustrate the exciting opportunities of creating a new dialogue in the way we communicate with our community,' said Bryant Lee, MACHINE-A partner and senior buyer.