Enter KNWLS, the next chapter for designer Charlotte Knowles

Since she made her debut at Fashion East’s AW18 show all the way back in 2018, Charlotte Knowles has captured the industry with her brand (that she works on with partner Alexandre Arsenault) – known for its modern take on femininity; deconstructing corsets, bras, and the like. After graduating the fashion incubator, the label has gone from strength to strength each season, evolving and paving the way (quite frankly) for other brands to dutily follow. 

The latest step for the brand comes in tandem with the release of the AW21 collection – the announcement that Charlotte Knowles is no more, instead, enter: KNWLS. “We felt it was the right moment to take Charlotte Knowles and shorten it to reflect the brand as more than just a singular effort but a larger studio practice, the duo explains on the rebrand. “This brand identity update marks a new chapter for us, and reflects our vision of growing the label into a luxury house in the coming years.” 

While the name might be different, the offering from the brand will very much still have fans’ mouths watering. For AW21, the KNWLS woman is ‘FERAL’ – releasing her wild side. Remnants of familiar animal prints are reimagined as new prints, that appear on the brand’s signature skintight dresses, tops, and leggings. Elsewhere, more homespun knits, soft shearling, patchwork, and vintage-looking leather brought a more nostalgic feel. 

To help bring the collection to life, the design duo enlisted the help of brand collaborator and image-maker Arnaud Lajeunie, who created a short film featuring models striding about a circular space in the new KNWLS fashions, admiring themselves in a mirror (can’t relate). With a soundtrack courtesy of Freeka Tet and vocals by Ruby Aldridge, the sound is distorted to mimic the effect of listening to live music outside of a venue (again, can’t relate).  

Watch the film below.