Power and female agency revved the engine of Namilia’s motocross inspired Fall/Winter 2017 collection. With camo and checkerboard prints, bedazzled flames and metallic accents adorning the garments, designers Nan Li and Emilia Pfohl created an indelicate and fantastic collection worth witnessing.

Backstage before the show, the designers shared how the idea of power dressing and masculinity lead them to create a collection for strong women.

“We’re looking at what power dressing means today, because in a classical sense, I think power dressing for women, like in the Eighties, always meant putting men’s clothes on,” Li said. “So this is kind of our version of power dressing and celebrating the feminine and combining streetwear and motocross and haute couture elements.”

He also said that their work is influenced by their muses, this time Lil’ Kim, who featured motocross in one of her videos. Pfohl also commented on their interest in motocross.

“It’s really masculine and sporty so we thought it’s really nice to combine this masculinity with sensual almost haute couture shapes,” Pfohl said.

The main silhouettes included chaps, bustiers, bodysuits and oversized moto jackets — most of which were embellished with color blocking, sporty piping and metallic details. Jackets and tops were enhanced with colorful and shiny wings shaped like flames. Many models wore chunky, buckled up boots.

The models’ faces and bodies were swiped with strokes of bright colored paint that accented exposed skin, which there was much of. High-cut bodysuits revealed hips and behinds while the chaps hid the legs. Paint brushed shoulders stood out from off-the-shoulder jackets and puffer coats. A new iteration of phallic shaped tops also appeared — the designers had presented one in their Spring/Summer 2016 show.

The outstanding pieces, though, were the body-hugging mermaid style dresses, one in bright green and one in silver, with exaggerated skirts. The avant garde silhouette was difficult to maneuver, however, as one of the models only made it three feet down the runway before having to turn around and exit.

Despite the hiccup, the audience revelled in the collection, appreciating Li and Pfohl’s transformation of masculine conventions into a female-powered, sexually-charged statement.

Email Sophie Shaw at [email protected].