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The Church as an aesthetic space is one that locates opulence and finery within the walls of mysticism. Forging within it the beliefs and hopes of folks. Spring, a month of renewal. Summer, a month of ripening playfulness. Helen Anthony blends the lemony light of the warmer months with spiritual shine to craft his SS17 collection titled Immortal.

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Churches have for centuries acted as workshops for art. Ancient cathedrals and monasteries position artistic practices of holiness on their walls. Helen Anthony taps into the lines and angles of church structures and how they’re coloured by belief. Honing in on 70s, a decade of booming attitudes of antidisestablishmentarianism and economic upheaval, suits carry the shaken 70s sprit with jackets cut to accentuate the waist and chest, with collars and board safari lapels. Disciplined trouser silhouettes are shaken with flared hems and knee tight legs finished with a pleatless waist.

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These powerful suit forms engage with Church signage and traditional British sartorialism, lifting both to the new age. Theological finishes tessellate onto one another across royal colour ways of ruby red, emerald, rich blue and brown across the suits. The Matthias Church, one of Budapest’s most iconic religious hubs, takes its name from King Matthias; a Hungarian monarch known for his artistic backing. The rusted opulence of its altar and rib-vault ceiling resonates across 70s suits. Embroidery is stitched onto longline shirt, shawl capes and long coat, as Anthony seamlessly brings Eastern and Western takes of Christianity together. Culminating with an emerald velvet and wool tuxedo bestowed with golden and silver ecclesiastical embroidery.

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​Anthony uses his collection as a forum to voice his own childhood experiences of going to church with his great grandmother (the one who taught and inspired Anthony’s clothing) and celebrate the beauty of it all. The Church’s rich tapestry, from crowns to chalices, find themselves embellished onto summer-ready Safari suits, denim jackets and jumpsuits. The Notre-Dame Basilica altar’s aesthetic is relocated onto a suit in tones of blue and yellow. Sacred iconography is stitched onto brilliant jewel tone two pieces. The collection becoming the site of a unification of bold colours, dazzling prints, and formidable semantics. Crowning with the sacred patterns being carried onto leather bags and briefcases in intricate prints inspired by the Mother Mary, Christ and gold.