There's a certain thrill to a wardrobe malfunction — a skirt slipping in the street, a bra strap rebelliously snapping mid-conversation, a zip betraying its original purpose. For London-based designer Eden Sherry, these sartorial mishaps aren't just moments of chaos; they're a design philosophy. Their latest Spring/Summer 2025 capsule collection titled Lets Go embraces movement, spontaneity, and, dare we say, a bit of mischief. Clothes that function best when they're not entirely functioning.
Lets Go is a collection for those constantly on the move, the ones who get dressed in a flurry, stepping out with the kind of insouciance that makes you wonder if the chaos was deliberate all along. It's fashion built for motion, designed to be twisted, zipped, unzipped, flipped, and shrugged on backwards in a way that shouldn't work, yet somehow does.
There's an almost architectural precision to Sherry's garments — high-quality hardware, convertible straps, and tops that snap into bags with a pull of a zip. But don't mistake this for over-engineered design. "I like things that feel more natural, less planned and more organic with a let's go mentality," they say, rejecting rigidity in favour of instinct, iteration and the kind of improvisation that turns getting dressed into an art form.
Despite the playful irreverence, Lets Go is grounded in serious craftsmanship. As a freelance tailor, Sherry has honed an intimate understanding of what people want from their clothes; what makes them feel powerful, comfortable, or simply like themselves. Deadstock and upcycled leather becomes second skin, shaped not just by design but by the body in motion.
Think of Sherry's work as controlled chaos, leather, zips, and buckles that hint at both freedom and restraint. Tension and contradiction are built into the pieces: structured yet fluid, confined yet expansive, their wearers shifting between restriction and release with each movement. The weight of leather against the airiness of possibility. This isn't static fashion, it’s meant to be lived in, reworked, sweated through on dance floors, and thrown into the chaos of city life.
Winning Best Collection for the UK at ModaPortugal Links may have been a milestone for Sherry, but for them, the real triumph is seeing their designs out in the wild, unzipped and undone, preferably in the lazy glow of a corner-shop sign, somewhere between the club exit, car park and the first train home.
Your SS25 Capsule Collection Lets Go explores global connection, how did this theme take shape in your creative process? Were there specific experiences, places, or people that informed the vision?
Lets Go was a really fun collection to make, and it felt like a natural progression from my previous work and was what I wanted to do. It started in my studio, making products that were fascinating to me and reflecting on who I wanted to create for. I have this person built up in my mind; they're busy, constantly moving, and slightly chaotic but very confident in who they are. It's an amalgamation of many different people, and I think about them a lot when creating. I love it when clothes malfunction, when something breaks or falls, it's super camp! A skirt falling in the street or a nip slip in the smoking area is just so fun, slightly naughty.
I enjoy looking at people dressing around me, even if they're strangers. I have been working as a freelance tailor for the past few months and have been so fascinated talking to people about why they love certain pieces, what they want to change, and how they want to style their clothes. When there is so much out there, creating pieces designed to be manipulated, malfunctioned even, is so much fun; how many lives one garment can live, and what potential it has in different people's wardrobes. The collection is smaller than standard releases, but with a more concentrated focus on detail, there's so much room for personalisation and accessorising of the garments; I really can't wait to see them out in the world.
I enjoy looking at people dressing around me, even if they're strangers. I have been working as a freelance tailor for the past few months and have been so fascinated talking to people about why they love certain pieces, what they want to change, and how they want to style their clothes. When there is so much out there, creating pieces designed to be manipulated, malfunctioned even, is so much fun; how many lives one garment can live, and what potential it has in different people's wardrobes. The collection is smaller than standard releases, but with a more concentrated focus on detail, there's so much room for personalisation and accessorising of the garments; I really can't wait to see them out in the world.
The name Lets Go carries an implicit call to action, what does this phrase mean to you in the context of contemporary fashion and society?
Lets Go really started as a joke; I was really hungover in Paris last fashion week, and my friend Lena was screaming it as part of this song, so it just stuck with me. It is a great phrase, and it feels like how dressing should be: fast and instinctive. Sometimes, it's best to throw something on and work with the way it fits. I like things that feel more natural, less planned and more organic with a let's go mentality. I hate sticking to a plan; my process is iterative in sampling products rather than idealising a whole design or collection before creating. Small elements arose while creating this collection. Allowing more fun in your process makes the garments more interesting, and the wearer enjoys them more; it all carries through.
Fashion often acts as a cultural bridge, but it can also highlight divisions. In what ways do you think clothing fosters unity, and where do you see its limitations in bringing people together?
I believe in connectivity in clothing and how we all interpret the same pieces differently. It’s super fun when someone is wearing the same outfit or style by accident, how they have worn it differently. I would love to see 100 people wearing the same top and how they are all slightly different. I want this collection to be accessible, and I don’t believe in pricing people out as a form of branding. Luxury can be isolating, and I want the people who want to access my clothes to be able to do so. Including a community means allowing them to access the product. Leather is also versatile, seen in luxury outwear and intimate kink wear. How it is applied is so personal, if you want to feel dressed up, you can, and if you want to show it all off, you definitely can.
Leatherwork is often associated with longevity and durability, yet fashion is increasingly scrutinised for its sustainability. How do you navigate these tensions in your material choices?
I think the anti-leather movement has dwindling support for protecting our environment. What we create should be built to last; using leather is a great way to achieve this. Using solely deadstock leather, rejects from London-based manufacturers with slight imperfections, reduces pre-consumer waste and creates a more circular system. As a tailor, I see vegan leather disintegrating so quickly with luxury items, and it is not a sustainable practice to make more with less durable materials; it's only creating more waste rather than reducing by-product waste in the first place. I started using leather only with my pre-collection Aingil, and it was a steep learning curve. My tutor once told me to respect the leather as animals have given their skins for our use. At the time, I didn't really understand the comment. However, now I believe making high-quality products from their skins is a great way to continue an animal's life; I would love to be turned into a bag when I die.
How do you see your garments functioning beyond aesthetics, do they serve as emotional or symbolic artefacts as well as wearable pieces?
I enjoy seeing people who support me, friends and family, wearing my pieces; it drives my work. There's so much emotion in clothing; I am a sentimental person and hate throwing things away; I used a lot of my grandfather's old motorcycle outfits for this collection, creating belts, fringes and straps from these heavy-duty leather trousers he had. I think he would find it really jokes if he knew that I was using his old clothes for hot pants and sexy little tops. There's a continuation of energy through the clothes; when you play with your outfit and tweak it throughout the day, you create something that constantly changes with you. I love including high-quality hardware; I have a great relationship with YKK, and I am so grateful for all the support they have given me in sourcing zips and trims that elevate the quality of my designs. There's such an appeal in unzipping, clipping, and popping things on and off in a tactile way; I am a big fidgeter, so I love clothes you can fidget with.
You have described your work as “transformational” and “open to interpretation.” Do you see fashion as an evolving dialogue rather than a fixed statement? How do you feel when others interpret your work in ways you didn’t anticipate?
I love transforming in every way! I think it relates to how people in my life are changing, which I notice more now. I have been through so many eras personally that I like the relatability to people regardless of subcultural identity. What brings us together is interpretation, and how we all view the same object differently. Being tasked to interpret something independently isn't something I feel fashion provides, and it is something I am interested to see in the real world: how people approach an object that is designed to be open to their interpretation. I also want to build more meaningful transitions between collections, using consistent design elements, the same size zip, and the same eyelet details so pieces from different collections can work interchangeably with other newer pieces in my customers' wardrobes, building longevity into the products.
The fashion industry increasingly favours personal narratives and cultural storytelling. Do you think this has changed the way designers are expected to communicate their work? Is there a risk that storytelling becomes a marketing tool rather than an authentic exchange?
I like the fashion storytelling happening on Instagram now: content about the concept of collections. I am not really a storyteller when it comes to the concept; I aim for the clothes I create to merge into the wearer’s life, and I am more interested in how products perform in different day-to-day activities, what makes people feel powerful, comfortable, strong, etc. Having worked with London couturiers previously, where storytelling is a driving narrative, it definitely is beautiful to see a concept executed in all areas of design. When every garment detail informs a narrative, and everything from the type of zip used to how the hems are finished has been considered, it really is breathtaking. I think I learnt that narrative informs the quality of your production, and beautifully developed and constructed clothes hold so much potential for the narrative of their own creation. Things made with care and consideration, and being worn to celebrate the wearer is magic! I think if quality is maintained, it remains integral to the narrative and concept of the collection.
Some designers create pieces that feel precious, almost untouchable. Your designs aren’t just worn, they live in the world, moving through nights out, dance floors, and city streets. Do you design with this kind of life in mind, or is it something that happens organically?
Sometimes, the line between costume and garment is blurred when it comes to my work, but these garments are like armour to me; they feel like sexy battle gear, protecting my community. They breathe, sweat, and move in so many different ways; they are kind of alive to me. There's so much chaos in London, and creating almost screenshots in my mind is how I create: how someone's top delicately balances on their collarbone or skirt hugs their hips damp in sweat, it stays so vividly in my mind, the way it drapes or holds a certain shape. I really like analysing a garment; it's my main process, how it's made and finished, and the detail it holds. I think that's the way my brain works. I'm not much of a pattern cutter or super particular in traditional construction techniques, but I want the products to be durable. I am very heavy-handed with clothes, I rip through shoes like you wouldn't believe, so this collection is designed to be thrown around and torn off, and it still looks good on the dance floor after a long night.
Your latest collection features multi-functional accessories, almost equestrian, movable leather straps, and bags that transform into tops. There’s a duality in these designs: a sense of movement and freedom, yet also restraint, as if the wearer is being strapped in. How do you navigate this balance between liberation and control?
There is something really fun about lacing your friend into an outfit; I love getting other people ready and dressing people up to go out. The relationship with your clothes can be difficult when you feel constrained; I want people to feel comfortable. I think that's where the zips become really important in my work. In every garment, there is a zip function or a hardware element designed so that if released, the whole garment collapses. Being able to take things off easily is super important to me, I hate being stuck in something, and taking clothes off is such a nice feeling.
You’ve joked about needing an instruction manual for your designs, with all the straps and endless ways to wear them. What’s the most unexpected way someone has styled your pieces? Do you enjoy seeing interpretations that go beyond what you envisioned?
Yes, I actually need to! When there's a set visual of how pieces are styled, and people want a reference, which I am more than happy to tell, no secrets, but there is beauty in finding your own way to do it. The bag tops, for example, were changing from every fitting to fitting, and I had to record each way; I was eager to see how people interacted with these pieces, what worked and what didn't, so having people use them, what my friends thought was super important when designing. You can get lost in a concept to a point where no one can access it anymore; it has to be appealing to play with, not daunting. I made this green jersey top that was so confusing, like a cat's cradle. Everyone would call me on set trying to style it, and it's been worn in every way possible now. I love working with stylists and seeing my work transform from set to set, mutating in many different worlds.
Winning Best Collection for the UK at ModaPortugal Links is a significant achievement, how has this recognition influenced your perspective on your work, and how do you see it shaping your next steps?
This was a very special moment for me. We get a bit lost in our London bubble, so it meant a lot seeing people understand the intention behind my work; winning was a very blessed bonus for me! I had the best week with my friends Scout and Kristine and met lovely people from all over Europe. I love doing what I do, and this support has allowed me to continue as an independent designer in London. I plan to release products in small drops and capsule collections. London’s fashion scene feels a bit slow at the moment, but taking my time to make what I want to make, understanding how to grow naturally and working with the right people is something I really believe in.
