Vulnerability does not need to arrive quietly.
With RENATUS, Swiss and Native American designer Mclees Mantegazza explores the art of beginning again through intricate beadwork and exuberant bursts of colour.
©Chris Yates/ Chris Yates Media
Rebirth demands uncomfortable surrender; a psychological, spiritual and physical passage from darkness towards light, beginning with vulnerable self-examination.
RENATUS – Latin for ‘reborn’ – explored the possibility of renewal through the tender exposure of silhouettes as shadows of the physical presence. The body remained visible beneath intricate webs of adornment, suggesting a self still in the process of becoming. There was an intimacy to these constructions: the body revealed, painstakingly framed; the self unable to hide.
In black, white, silver and gold, jewellery became clothing, its draped strands lending structure without the solidity of conventional fabric. Beads looped across the chest and cascaded around the hips, shifting with the wearer mirroring the dynamic process of rebirth. The effect balanced fragility with resilient handwork, as silk, embellished mesh, crystals and semi-precious stones framed the figure.
New hand-beaded boots carried that attention down to the feet, while live illustration directly onto the pieces introduced a different rhythm of making alongside the meticulous beadwork. Here, the collection’s idea of renewal found its most tangible expression: something carefully constructed can still experience unexpected change.
For Mantegazza, beadwork has a personal history. Her introduction to the craft came during time spent with her grandfather on the Wind River Reservation, an experience that helped shape the label’s approach. What began as a one-woman operation has since developed into a small atelier. Its affinity with music and festival culture is clear, but so is the patient construction behind the spectacle.
An open black beaded lattice formed a halterneck silhouette, connecting across one side of the torso before descending into an asymmetric skirt. Elsewhere, black and silver strands fanned across the bust and swept diagonally over the hips beneath a sheer, feather-edged robe. A headpiece circled the eyes, bringing the same decorative intensity to the face. A long, feather-trimmed robe framed tiers of pale beads, with mirror-bright silver boots continuing the embellishment below the knee. There was scarcely an area left unconsidered.
Against the largely black, white and metallic palette, a white sequinned ensemble carried loosely drawn flowers in pink, orange, lilac and turquoise. From the front, oversized petals travelled across the fitted torso and hip. From behind, the long panel extending from a matching sequinned headscarf opened into a broad field of overlapping blooms. The regular, scale-like surface of the sequins gave those wandering lines something to work against.
Through these vivid blooms and delicate beads, RENATUS offered a persuasive image of freedom to become something new without unravelling everything that came before.
The house has a fresh start of its own planned, with a Paris showcase in October followed by a move to Miami in January 2027 and an expansion of its ready-to-wear and menswear.
@hausofmclees // hausofmclees.com
Photography: ©Chris Yates // Chris Yates Media
