The clothes in Ottolinger’s new Fall/Winter 2021 collection give the impression of growing naturally on the wearer, like a barnacle or a cluster of vines. In the brand’s accompanying digital fashion show, the runway cuts through a rocky terrain, clearing the way for a collection that plays with ideas of slickness and movement.

In the past, Ottolinger has focused on deconstruction, creating clothes that have an artfully tattered appearance. To some extent, that experimentation continues here, but there is a new element of suppleness. The forms feel solid and alive, capable of survival in the harsh landscape that forms the show’s backdrop.

There are well-placed cutouts and long, flowing strands that dangle from and trail behind the clothes. Trendy mesh outfits stand out with allover graphic prints. Snakelike forms wrap around several of the looks, accentuating curves and adding to the sense of movement.

Some of the forms resemble seaweed, others tentacles and rocky formations. Footwear sometimes looks like roots growing from the earth, grounding the wearer to the earth, much like the collection as a whole.