‘The Freight Train Shakes the House at Night’ Matty Bovan Autumn/Winter 2025
MATTY BOVAN AUTUMN/WINTER 2025
‘THE FREIGHT TRAIN SHAKES THE HOUSE AT NIGHT’ Matty Bovan presents new Film and Look Book
Matty Bovan, York, North Yorkshire, 1 May 2025
“Vignettes of complex women, characters trapped within their own realms. The world outside howls around them like a hurricane of chaos as they lock the doors leading to an internal dialogue. Characters morph and intertwine. Never-ending phone calls where the most optimistic future glimmers on speed dial, with the TV playing public broadcast announcements on a loop. Powdery tulle and organic silhouettes meet hard-shouldered vixen, power warring with the romantic.”
Matty Bovan AW2025 Look 1 Model: Kenya Roper Photo: George Hutton
“A fantasy of watching fragmented clips of Dynasty on TV whilst David Lynch’s Twin Peaks plays simultaneously. Lynch’s work has always inspired me, particularly his rich female multilayered and nuanced character studies, never afraid to show vulnerability alongside passion, often interspersed with rage. With his passing, like many others, I revisited his films whilst starting this collection and they have seeped into it in abstract ways. Having only ever seen fragments of Dynasty, I watched more for research, amazed by the scale and proportions of the costumes, and the fine line it treads between classy and camp.”
Matty Bovan AW2025 Look 2 Model: Kenya Roper Photo: George Hutton
“Referencing strong female characters and chopping up memories of my own grandmother and mother’s clothing from the 1980s, I’ve twisted it all into my collage fantasy. The 80s references break out from their initial inspiration, mutating into the softer she-creatures portrayed.”
“Each hem is not sewn in the traditional sense, but heat-bonded with more taffeta, left raw and shredded. A sense of grounding and honesty amongst the appliquéd surrealism and, at times, overwhelming decoration. Using deadstock fabric roll ends by Friedmans Ltd, I purposefully ruched and twisted them to form giant-scale collages on the body, mixing alphabet, flowers and large geometric, abstract forms to create a story in each piece.”
“Being able to shoot my mum for the first time in my mainline collection was very special. She is someone who has been a huge influence on my creativity and an amazing example of what it is to be a strong woman in this world.”
“The film is collaged and moody with fragmented glimpses of my characters; a cacophony of colour, and texture, the women exploring different rooms of the house, depicting a different story behind closed doors. The soundscape also mirrors this frantic, multilayered story arc, as well as ‘Strawberry Shock’ insanely saturated red lip colour by Lisa Eldrige, bows, explosive textiles, taffeta and GINA shoes.”
CREDITSLook Book Photography
George Hutton @george_huttonnFilm directed by Matty Bovan @babbym
Film shot by Matty Bovan Studio
Stills shown within the Video Shot by Christine Ratcliff @christineratcliff5
Creative Consultant
Katie Grand @kegrand
Casting
Matty Bovan @babbym
Cast Megan Bradley @itsmeganbradley Amy Mennell @mayonnaiseamy Jude Kershaw @itsjudeokay Plum Bovan @begoniapeterson Kenya Roper @kenyaroper Greta Guise-Smith @greta_alberta_
Soundtrack
Gunther Bear
Material
Roll ends of Lycra Fabric by Friedmans Ltd
@friedmansltd
Footwear
GINA Shoes @ginashoesofficial
Bags
Matty Bovan StudioJewellery
Plum Bovan @plumbjewelsMake Up
Matty Bovan using Lisa Eldridge @lisaeldridgemakeupHair & Nails
Matty Bovan Studio
Assistants
Storm Meek, Greta Guise-Smith, Plum Bovan & Jonathan Scott
With thanks to Leeds Beckett University @leedsbeckettofficial
Special Thanks
Plum Bovan, Nick Bovan, Jonathan Scott, Katie Grand, Mandi Lennard, Sarah Mower MBE, Caroline Rush CBE, Laura Dooley and Mabel Cefai @ Agency Eleven, Leeds Beckett University, Angela and Aydin Kurdash @ GINA, Lisa Eldridge, Christine Ratcliff, Fabio Piras, Sarah Gresty, Melanie Ashley, Agatha Connolly, George Hutton, Sarah Ford, and York Cemetery.
A LEGENDARY FIGURE IN FASHION and a pioneer of blogging, Diane is a respected journalist, critic, curator and talent-hunter based in Paris. During her prolific career, she designed her own successful brand in New York, costume designer, photographer, and filmmaker.
