By Leah Goryachkovsky

Natural doesn’t have to equate to neutral. Ulla Johnson’s 2023 summer collection is a bright and vivid display celebrating the unique site of Quetzalcoatl’s Nest, Mexico. Quetzalcoatl’s Nest is an organic architectural structure designed by renowned Mexican architect Javier Senosiain, with the aim to integrate nature with minimal environmental impact. The serpentine structure embodies the unique form of its surrounding landscape, and is an homage to the ancient Mesoamerica deity known as the feathered serpent. This splendor transports visitors to a fantasy-filled realm overflowing with natural beauty. 

The show pairs flowy and bubbly silhouettes with the vibrant tones found in Quetzalcoatl’s Nest, creating a playful and creative homage to the space. The runway is scattered with complementary displays of vibrant, highly pigmented floral arrangements across the venue, intended to simulate the environment of Quetzalcoatl’s Nest. As a part of the show’s environmental focus, all flowers from the floral arrangements were composted afterwards. Sustainability has always been a big focus for Ulla Johnson; the brand also collaborated with sustainable water bottle company Ocean Bottle, preventing 100,000 plastic bottles (300 for every guest at the show) from reaching the ocean. This effort not only benefited marine ecosystems but also provided employment for the coastal communities that collect and recycle plastic.

Ulla Johnson meticulously researched every detail of the collection, and placed a heavy emphasis on craft in all of their designs. The brand emphasizes the importance of “supporting smaller communities” in order to “help create a positive social impact.” To this end, they outsource their production to skilled artisans – a striped blanket dress in the collection was hand-woven in Guatemala, and several pieces were dyed in a shibori style in Bangalore. Their denim pieces were stitched together using an antique chain stitch machinery from a small artisan group in Los Angeles. 

I’ll end with a quote from Ulla Johnson’s blog, which summarizes the collection beautifully:

“Floating volumes, translucent pleats, and mesh webbing take on the vibrancies and subtleties of the Earth herself.”

I think they accomplished their goal.