John Richmond isn’t afraid to dredge up the past — in fact, he revels in it.

The designer, whose work defined the underground club scene of the 1980s, returned to his roots and tapped into the raw energy of punk-goth club culture by staging a decades-spanning mash-up inside the Covent Garden nightclub Stereo. 

Richmond spliced references in Frankenstein-like fashion: lace parachute pants and different colored studded creepers from the ’80s paired with leather fingerless gloves, while fishnet tights layered under shorts evoked the ’90s. 

“It’s a mishmash of all and spat out into something relevant to today,” Richmond told WWD. “I looked back at my first sketchbooks from the late ’70s; it’s uncanny how similar the designs and silhouettes are. We keep going around in circles, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. It’s important to make it fresh and relevant, to keep moving forward.”

Eschewing the standard fashion week backdrops, Richmond leaned into the grit of a real nightclub. The dimly lit space, punctuated by camera flashes, accentuated the collection’s dark palette and neon trimmings and gave the show the feel of a big night out more than a polished runway.

“I have done many classic catwalk shows. It’s a well-worn path that suits fashion week, that is known and accepted by everyone, but everyone constantly complains that it’s outdated,” he said. “So I decided to try something different.”

The result? Richmond’s punk past hit the present with a fresh charge of relevance.