In Dover with ‘SOS SKYN’
Off a passenger train at Dover Priory and to the townhouse of Samara Scott of SOS SKYN. Amongst a wealth of unfinished home projects and a network of scaffolding cascading down towards the doorpost, a view of the English Channel and one of Europe’s most iconic seaports. To the rear, the White Cliffs back onto a lovingly overgrown garden, complete with submerged neo-Classical sculptures and a wire-backed bench.
Today, Scott’s home is the site of an exclusive photoshoot for the COLD Magazine. Though this venue seems a tad unconventional for a major portfolio, the space is something of a microcosm for Scott’s practice.
“I’m writhing with snakes that pull me in different directions,” she tells me, “I’m like an oyster hoarding these pearls of inspiration around me.”
Inside, a Dali-esque scattering makes these inspirations concrete: a scrawled invite for a cowboy-themed party atop a vintage print, a row of miniature straw huts, a sculpture of a sun, a gelatinous blob climbing over a metallic frame. Pointing between handcrafted glass tiles onstartlingly red walls, Scott shows me a concealed dishwasher. It’s hidden, she says, because the machine’s existence undermines her free spirited sensibilities.
Over the day, we played dress up with a wide array of ready-to-wear and one-off experiments – all woven through scenes in Scott’s home and a scattering of local, if unconventional, landmarks. Shaped by an “untaught yet forensic obsession with latex,” the brand – and our shoot– forefronts painterly gestures across found materials like denim, curtains, and silk. In this vein, Scott invites us to dive through the looking glass into a world of vibrant splashes, unexpected contrasts, and draped silhouettes.
