When one hears the term ‘Maelstrom’, instantaneously an image is constructed. It is of deep, sombre water, of engulfing waves and unrelenting whirlpools. Young Belgian designer Pablo Henrard, gave this exact title to his graduate collection. When observing the asymmetrical wave-like cut of his pieces, and the fluidity of his fabrics, it’s immediately obvious why. Inspired by Captain Nemo, the literary creation of French novelist Jules Verne, the darkness and layered complexity of the character is portrayed through Hernard’s work. The palette of the collection is mainly black: the most enigmatic of colours, whilst the translucent materials and the structural neoprene garments pay homage to the nature of water. With this collection, the La Cambre alumnus indeed gave the feeling of being ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea.’