Matty Bovan has always been able to transport us to someplace new, allowing us to escape our woes and worries with a spectacle that is second to none in grabbing our eyes and spoiling our minds.

For AW21, things are certainly no different. Titled ‘Odyssey’, the Matty Bovan creature this season can be found in the ocean, spanning generations of shanties, sirens and other scaly temptresses that lurk in the deep blue unknown. A story in three parts, Bovan begins with The Fall, introducing his radiant characters with dazzling Swarovski crystals reflecting light back into our eyes as his figures change shape with the help of bowling ball-sized sequins and sleek, crocheted netting.

Then comes The Void, like a tidal wave of material chaos, seeing proportions expand and warp as the crew don talismans and striking jewellery. Bovan reworks traditional fishermen prints into custom Merino wool spun in his native Yorkshire, fusing Liberty florals with a cacophony of prints that practically jump off their owner.

Finally, The Light delivers us from our troubles, and Bovan’s creatures emerge changed once more. Though immensely utilitarian, colour still reigns supreme in oversize jeans or billowing coat breasts, fastened by hot-pink Gromit belts that sit upon one particularly dazzling hand-painted trench coat. “‘Odyssey’ is ultimately about humanity’s constant survival against external forces, and a battle with reality,” says Bovan. “The characters are swept away in a cycle of extreme events, and whether this cycle ever ends or just continues, is unknown.”

Of course, Bovan’s interpretation of survival against external forces is less Mad Max and more knitting-nana-on-a-speed-binge, but you know what, that’s just the way we bloody like it.