The invitation to Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault’s show featured a grainy, vintage-toned image of a model silhouetted against a window, holding up a dramatic pleated skirt. The image’s suggestive quality hinted at the collection’s exploration of undressing, concealment and femininity.

With Knwls approaching its 10th anniversary next year, the designers returned to one of the inspirations behind their graduate collection at Central Saint Martins: French photographer Bettina Rheims’s influential book Chambre Close, a series of intimate images of women undressing in anonymous hotel rooms. The designers revisited the reference as a way to reflect on how their approach to femininity has evolved over the past decade.

That idea translated into a collection built around deconstruction and layering. The opening look featured a corseted camisole and sheer skirt suspended from garter clips over cotton briefs, immediately establishing the tension between revealing and concealing the body. Elsewhere, powder-blue jersey twisted around the figure to reveal glimpses of lace lingerie, while a dusty-rose satin slip dress featured crossover jersey bands around the waist, leaving the stomach exposed.

A standout blush-pink and peach lace gown unfolded in concentric tiers, peeling away from the chest and cascading toward the calf like a blooming flower. Denim and leather also received inventive treatments, reflecting the designers’ recent experience working with Glenn Martens at Diesel. Slashed jeans were rejoined at the thighs, while a distressed dark-brown leather swing coat featured sculptural lapels and exaggerated shoulders.

Beyond the sensual silhouettes, the collection stood out for its meticulous craftsmanship. Crushed leather roses made from delicate skived leather were hand-embroidered and pressed onto skirts and bags, while dresses were constructed from layered jersey and silk lingerie pieces sewn onto sheer tulle to create the illusion of garments slipping from the body.

Presented in a sleek south London school performance hall with a trip-hop soundtrack by musician October Logan, the show balanced nostalgia with a sense of progression. Ten years into their journey, Knowles and Arsenault demonstrated how Knwls can revisit its roots while continuing to reshape its distinctive vision of femininity.