Rory William Docherty Spring/Summer 2027

At the Andaz London, Rory William Docherty turned simplicity into a statement for Spring/Summer 2027, presenting a quietly beautiful collection built around connection, craftsmanship and the language of the knot.

Staged beneath the Andaz’s 1901 ballroom dome, the show unfolded in an almost entirely darkened room. Two large projector lights illuminated a table, an old stereo and a glass of water, creating a strangely intimate scene as models emerged one after another. There was very little competing for attention, and that was precisely the point. A quiet, almost transcendent energy settled over the room, allowing the clothes and the people wearing them to become the story. It was one of those shows where the simplicity of the setting made the collection feel even more considered.

For What Ties Us Together, Docherty continued his exploration of the knot, a recurring house motif that becomes a study of connection and repetition. The familiar tied details of his Painter’s Shirt were reworked into woven metal knots, graphic cotton versions, trompe l’oeil prints and sculptural three-dimensional forms. Jewellery knots, hand-cast in bronze, silver and 18-carat gold by maker Jordan Draffin, added another layer of craftsmanship. Elsewhere, the designer’s fascination with repetition extended into a silk jacquard developed from a hand-knotted rope of newsprint, turning an initially simple gesture into something far more elaborate.

The clothes themselves carried the same sense of restraint. Cream, white, grey and gold formed the dominant palette, with fluid silks, linens threaded with subtle shimmer and superlight wool organza giving the collection an almost weightless quality. Oversized trench coats, crisp shirts, easy trousers and elegant gowns were balanced by soft shoulders and cocoon-like silhouettes. The clean lines were particularly striking, allowing the construction, texture and movement of each piece to speak without unnecessary decoration. There was a pull towards the sea too, not in a literal nautical sense, but in the fluidity of the fabrics and coastal shades of khaki, soft green-grey and cool sunset pink.

What made the presentation particularly memorable was its refusal to overstate the message. In a season often crowded with spectacle, Docherty created something much quieter: a collection about shared values, mutual respect and the collective subconscious of creative work, expressed through clothes that felt precise but never rigid. Under the ballroom dome, with the city temporarily shut out, What Ties Us Together became less about making a grand statement and more about reminding us why craftsmanship, beauty and connection still matter.