JOHANNA PARV SS27 "TEMPO": When Speed Becomes a Creative Language

For JOHANNA PARV, creativity is rarely a passive process. It comes through movement, experimentation and a constant conversation with materials. For Spring/Summer 2027, this philosophy takes over 180 Studios in London through TEMPO, an exhibition that brings fashion, design, art, food and architecture into the same moving picture.

Presented across three rooms, TEMPO introduces four creatives whose practices share Parv’s fascination with process and materiality: Saša Štucin of Soft Baroque, chef Imogen Kwok, artist and ceramicist Phoebe Collings-James, and architect Nara Lee. Together, they create a wider portrait of creativity as something shaped by rhythm, speed and physical engagement.

Directed by Alexandre Silberstein, the accompanying films move between London city scenes and intimate interviews conducted by Georgia Graham of Threads of Conversation. The conversations explore how duration influences creative practice, and how different materials can determine the pace at which an idea takes shape.

What I found particularly interesting about the exhibition is how naturally it sits between fashion and design. Rather than presenting the clothes as isolated objects, JOHANNA PARV places them within the environments they are designed to navigate. The central room creates a busy urban landscape around the collection, while individual looks hang like sculptural forms. In the final room, four screens face each other, allowing visitors to move between the perspectives of each featured creative.

The collection itself follows the same principle of responsiveness. Technical fabrics are treated as tools for navigating city life, with lightweight layers designed to adapt to changing summer weather. Familiar JOHANNA PARV silhouettes, including the Velocity Trousers and Zip Shirt, return in breathable linen. The Cover Shirt and Cover Skirt are made from water-repellent natural wool, while a new Car Coat in water-repellent gabardine offers protection from summer dust.

The colour palette feels deliberately atmospheric, moving through dusty blue, creamy natural wool, beige and white. There is a softness to the palette that contrasts with the engineering behind the garments.

That tension between protection and exposure is one of the strongest ideas running through SS27. Transparent knitted nylon sweaters and split capris reveal the body while maintaining the collection’s technical language. Mesh cycling gloves, bandana caps and lightweight merino knitwear can be folded into the Frame bag, which is designed to sit securely against a bicycle frame during a commut

The idea of speed also appears directly in the conversations. Štucin compares creative thinking at speed to driving, describing a state where the body becomes instinctive while remaining completely present. Kwok approaches duration from the opposite direction, considering food as something inherently temporary. Collings-James reflects on ceramics as a material that connects ancient practices with futuristic technologies, while Lee questions whether anyone can intentionally create something timeless.

For me, this is where JOHANNA PARV SS27 becomes more than another exercise in technical fashion. TEMPO gives the clothes a context. It shows that functionality does not have to come at the expense of emotion, and that innovation can emerge from paying closer attention to how we actually move through the world.

Credits

Creative Direction: Johanna Parv
Film Director: Alexandre Silberstein
Interviews + Text: Georgia Graham
Art Direction: Fantastic Studio
Creative Production: Threads of Conversation
Talent: Saša Štucin, Imogen Kwok, Phoebe Collings-James, Nara Lee
Music Composition: Mimi Xu
Styling: Katarina Silva
Hair: Rio Shimmaki
Makeup: Rebecca Davenport
Film Set: Porter Studio
Shoot Production: Rhiannon Bowden
Installation: Jason Liao + Johanna Parv
PR: RAVEN

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