Helmstedt - AW24

Emilie Helmstedt describes her latest Helmstedt collection as a treasure hunt. “We have been on a treasure hunt through our own collections and finding the things we believed in the most,” she says. Returning from the depths of her own archive with a bounty of beloved motifs and silhouettes, the designer set about cobbling together a collection that’s admittedly more accessible than the more-is-more whimsy of past seasons. “It’s actually a very, very commercial collection,” Helmstedt told me ahead of the show. “You will maybe be shocked a bit to see it.”

What does commercial mean for Helmstedt? For starters, black. Today marks the very first time the designer has sent black down the runway. The shade pops up by way of a remix of the brand’s sold-out alien cardigan, reimagined in black and pink. Elsewhere, a pouf-sleeved black dress is lined with an all-over strawberry print, another beloved Helmstedt motif.

Then there’s the knitwear, a throw-on-and-go way to add a dash of Helmstedt magic into an otherwise neutral wardrobe. Take, for instance, the delicious ombre mohair sweaters, rendered in muted technicolour. Elsewhere, feminine flourishes come by way of spaghetti strap tops with gentle chiffon ruffles, rendered in tones of a dreamy night sky.

But it wouldn’t be a Helmstedt show without a bit of whimsy. Here, the notion of a treasure hunt is realised quite literally by way of delicate bead details. “We were inspired by old pirate movies where they’re just sailing the seas and finding old treasures – diamonds and pearls,” says Helmstedt. She couldn’t help but indulge in one maximalist showpiece: a boiler suit finished top-to-toe in a beaded alien print. Now that’s something to be treasured.

See the full Helmstedt AW24 collection below: