APOLLINAIRE  //  2018

High art meets high fashion as Avant Garde sovereign Nadia Semanic enters a new epoch with her collection Apollinaire. Paying reverence to artist Pablo Picasso, and stylistically saluting Dutch designers Viktor and Rolf, Semanic maintains total respect for artistry whilst revealing a firm grasp of Haute Couture. In a similar vein to her fashion muse’s SS:16 collection, sculpture and abstraction are key themes, whilst superior craftsmanship is unequivocally apparent. In what might be deemed her boldest collection to date, there is no doubt that a vein of originality runs deep through this young stylist, a true inventor and pioneer for Avant Garde Hairdressing.

 Hair Stylist: Nadia Semanic  //  Fashion Stylist: Anthony Capon  //  Make Up Artist: Cheriene Waddell  //  Photographer: Andrew O’Toole

SUBTERRANEA  //  2017

A beguiling evolution to the hypnotic collection The Enchanting, Nadia tunneled deep below ground to construct the artistic landscape for her collection Subterranea. Much darker in tone and palette than the 2016 prologue, Nadia portrayed creatures emerging from below ground in a state of partial discord, disturbed by the stark contrast to their normal surroundings.

Hair Stylist: Nadia Semanic  //  Fashion Stylist: Emma Cotterill  //  Make Up Artist: Kylie O’Toole  //  Photographer: Andrew O’Toole

THE ENCHANTING  //  2016

Utterly mesmerising and breathtakingly beautiful, this collection represents a pioneer in Avant Garde Hairdressing pushing her work to a whole new level of existence.  Shifting from a far darker emotional space witnessed in her 2015 collection Mortale Est, The Enchanting reveals an artistic gallery of individually hand-crafted headpieces, constructed entirely of hair.

In looking to manipulate her chosen fabric with some of the most labour intensive techniques witnessed in handcrafted fashion design, Semanic brings the techniques of embossing, embroidery and flocking into the world of Avant Garde hairdressing in a truly captivating composition.

Hair Stylist: Nadia Semanic  //  Fashion Stylist: Emma Cotterill  //  Make Up Artist: Kylie O’Toole  //  Photographer: Andrew O’Toole

MORTALE EST  //  2015

This collection explores the concept of mortality, a topic that deliberately induces intrigue and ambiguity both to the passive observer and the critique that seeks a deeper level of meaning from decoding the art form. The collection thread stems from pre-occupation with the Renaissance Period, a cultural movement that included the creation of religious paintings saturated with symbolism and often displaying beauty, harmony and serenity in the same frame as death. As such, the collection looks to draw the viewer into a somewhat distorted world showing the fragility and vulnerability of life.

Hair Stylist: Nadia Semanic  //  Fashion Stylist: Emma Cotterill  //  Make Up Artist: Siobhan Kelly  //  Photographer: Andrew O’Toole

PARASOMNIA  //  2014

Originally inspired by the surrealist master- Salvador Dali. Dali’s images capture an almost hallucinogenic and dream like state, which draws the eye in, seamlessly including elements that are disturbed and confronting, yet hauntingly beautiful.

Rather than a slavish attempt to recreate the images of this consummate surrealist, this collection interprets the recurring symbolism of Dali. It evolves the concept of surrealism to encapsulate a real sense of disturbance, with specific reference to the iconic work of Alfred Hitchcock and his dark psychological undertones and portrayal of heroines.

Hair Stylist: Nadia Semanic  //  Fashion Stylist: Emma Cotterill  //  Make Up Artist: Becca Gilmartin  //  Photographer: David Mannah