Rachel Scott usually approached fashion through language. For her Fall 2025 collection at Diotima, she focused on the word 'matriarch', defining women and womanhood as inherently complex. Scott paid tribute to matriarchal legacies, particularly the oversimplified legacies of women of colour. "I've been thinking about the portrayal of us, as Black women, and how it needs to be readdressed," she wrote in her show notes.

Scott started considering the focus of the collection last November, calling out online for a celebration of Black women who have paved the way: “the auntie, the trans mother, the grandma, the matriarch.” Her community responded and shared imagery dating back to the turn of the century. Scott then sought to refine and materialise these reflections through silhouettes that could transcend time, from the original feminist undergarment to an oversized tuxedo. This clarity about the nuance Diotima intends to exude is all the more poignant in light of Scott’s recent recognition as CFDA American Womenswear Designer of the Year.

The presentation's choreographed scene went beyond a typical collection reveal, taking on the quality of an artistic performance. On the 39th floor of 180 Maiden Lane in downtown Manhattan, models sat at a table reminiscent of Carrie Mae Weems’ 1990 Kitchen Table Series, where a full spectrum of human emotions was expressed, stories shared, and memories created. As the models gazed introspectively into handheld mirrors, the boundaries between private and public blurred, expanding the definition of matriarchy to be both inclusive and intergenerational. Scott’s promise to honour the legacies of these powerful matriarchs was not only fulfilled but surpassed. The scene felt intimate, evoking private, personal moments: shattered mirrors were scattered across the floor; there was a table where handheld mirrors replaced plates; and cream curtains framed an assortment of chairs, which Scott described as a woman’s “throne.” As golden sunlight streamed in from the Hudson River, we could see the delicate balance between softness and strength, the old and the new at play.

Materials that evoked the comforting familiarity of bedspreads were threaded through the collection, including quilted satin capelets, crinkle chiffon dresses adorned with pile embroidery, and mesh piano shawls draped on the body. Statement-shouldered blazers with “anti-epaulettes” and “shapely waists” were paired with oversized trousers, making it clear that the Diotima matriarch was rebellious. Angela Davis’ voice-over amplified this defiant spirit. 

Wool, typically seen as a serious textile, was reimagined with rebellion in mind through Scott’s signature crochet and mesh knits, along with bomber jackets featuring soft wool fringe collars—a nod to her finalist work for the 2025 International Woolmark Prize. Scott’s embellishments of opaque crystals and flowing capelets kept the eye in constant motion. She also drew attention to two shoe styles: a seductive fisherman sandal and a D’orsay flat elevated to a stiletto mule, with string pearls wrapped around the ankles. 

Scott’s portrayal of matriarchs goes beyond simplistic or flattened representations. She explores the notion that “having lived countless, often private lives, she feels misunderstood.” This idea is embodied in the garments themselves, where some structures peel away from the body and others mould to the body. Through this tension, Scott evokes the duality of the matriarch—her constant navigation between freedom and constraint.

What remains clear by the end of the two-hour presentation is that the formal qualities of Diotima and the concept of matriarchy explored have been scrambled apart only to be reassembled into something new. Scott offers a visual language as layered as the women it seeks to represent.