Cassandra Verity Green:
kitsch retrofuturism

On the wall are three neon bright rubber gloves, covered in googly eyes and pom-poms. There are swatches of devoré-printed lycra and slithers of turquoise blue plastic. Hanging from a rail are several massive, irresistibly tactile knits – like psychedelic seaweed or balls of yarn tangled by giant kittens – in lime green, white and bubblegum pink.

Here, in a multicoloured corner of a studio in Bow, is the doorway to the world of Cassandra Verity Green. “Just, brightness! I can’t help it. I’m just drawn to everything bright and fun and colourful. I love having fun with fashion and not taking it too seriously.”

A boundless enthusiasm for craft is evident when talking to Cassandra Verity Green about her work, which centres on colour, texture and most importantly, knitwear. Her 2013 graduate collection, inspired by Esther Williams – swimmer and star of Hollywood’s halcyon years – and taking its name from her 1949 film Neptune’s Daughter, gathered beaded crop tops, the aforementioned voluminous knits and some contentious fish bowl backpacks (the RSPCA were were less than amused, yet far from being “replaceable ornaments”, the fish in question were Green’s own pets). On their heads models wore white retro bathing caps, streaks of tangerine hair peaking out from beneath.

The lycra-based collection was heavily embellished and labour-intensive. One dress, so laden with clear, icicle-shaped beads that we can’t lift it off the rail with one hand, took six people two weeks to finish. “For my graduate collection I was looking at 50s inspirations, and then giving it a futuristic twist. It wasn’t something that could be reproduced, it was more of a creative exploration,” Green explains.

In the year that ensued, Green set up her own label. Her AW14 collection, a mix of beaded white fishnet and pastel camouflage bodycon looks followed on where Neptune’s Daughter left off, distilled into more wearable pieces with the same brand of kitsch-retro-futurism that the designer looks set to make her own.