Photography by Diego Indraccolo, Model: Kirsten Varley, Styling: Kay Korsh

Rachel Freire missed her calling as a costume designer, but she fits right in with – or speeds ahead of – her aesthetic contemporaries, in both innovation and imagination. Freire graduated in 2006 from Central Saint Martins, where she studied Design for Performance rather than fashion design. She was “more interested in the psychological aspects of how people perceive dress”. Her latest collection for Fall/Winter 2010 particularly demonstrates her interest in testing limits and soliciting audience reaction. Freire, who labels her design aesthetic “Period drama meets Blade Runner”, excels in manufacturing futuristic beauty. Her sci-fi designs include jeweled headpieces; nude-colored, detailed bodysuits; and an oversize mirror-plated bolero that resembles a football player’s shoulder pads. Precise ruching, exaggerated ruffles, and minor elements of corsetry make Freire’s clothing veritable desserts made of silk and mirrorball pieces. Detailed but durable, the visionary’s conceptual looks are Gaga-ready, but still hint heavily at traditional influences and sophisticated techniques. Freire’s appropriate drama derives from theater, of course, and from her favorite designer, Thierry Mugler. Indeed she has a head start on filling the void that Mugler left when he stopped designing. Practically every item in this collection boasts an extravagance and depth that blur the line between clothing and accessory. Freire says she designs for “daring people, definitely…someone who wants to stand out.”