In the early 1930s a new band of female artists and photographers captured the fringe culture in the underbellies of the glittering capitals in mainland Europe. Jeanne Mammen, Madame d’Ora, Elfriede Lohse-Wichtler, Anita Berber and Valeska Gert each pioneered a particular vein of avant-garde expression. For Autumn Winter 22 we are with them, underground in a club that could be in Berlin, Vienna or Paris. Electricity is in the air - the febrile energy of abandon that comes in the calm before the storm. This is a period of dissolving boundaries and subverting conventions. There are female guests and not just performers in the clubs. They are venues for experimentation, as much as entertainment. Our artists are not passive observers in their artistic endeavours. They themselves are liberally exploring notions of gender and sexuality, identity and expression. Everyone is welcome, and all participate. The collection explores this mood of high jinks on the brink of change. Daywear and eveningwear, womenswear and menswear, formal and casual clothing, are juxtaposed and interwoven. This is a tense moment that will become a fulcrum point in history. Underground and behind closed doors, the heady spirit of freedom feels giddy, but the frivolity has a bittersweet edge to it; the world beyond the club is not such a safe space. Whispers of war are looming once again, but we don’t talk about that down here. For now, let the music play.