Touted as the boldest, most anarchic fashion label in London and named after the Warrior-Queen of the Iceni, who rebelled against the Romans in AD60, Boudicca pursue an uncompromisingly independent route that has earned them a cult following.

Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby, the duo behind the label, create strikingly modern, original and enigmatic clothes which eskew fashion’s obsession with trends and historic pastiche. Boudicca has taken over where Hussein Chalayan and Alexander McQueen should have ventured. Aptly executing their citation of Houellebecq, The future is female, Boudicca’s rigorously honed aesthetic starts with the female, her body and emotions, to produce resolutely confident garments which are at once familiar and futuristic - 21st century fashion for the thinking woman.

Each Boudicca look is exquisitely crafted, a melange of sartorial elements. A razor sharp silhouette and powerfully seductive cut define a predominantly all-black look, constructed from luxurious, often montaged materials and layered by idiosyncratic geometry. Loquacious, animated and above all intelligent, each garment has an anthropological dynamic, with the diverse references of the duo injected into each piece by personal subtext.

The Autumn/Winter 2005 collection is described as a ‘kind of hyper-realism’, and re-works classic Boudicca signature silhouettes whilst presenting new beautifully extravagent pieces such as the defiantly avant-garde The Magician, and the drop-dead gorgeous The Hannah Hoch Dress.

Broach and Kirkby are the designers in the frame. As recipients of the heavyweight American Express sponsorship, the duo are successors elect to the mantle passed on by Alexander McQueen. An audacious presence, not least supported by the growing following with every move.

In conjunction with BOUDICCA, CASTLE. THE STORE shows five definitive looks from the Animate AW: 05 collection. The ready-to-wear outfits selected epitomise the uncompromising, experimental tailoring and non-conformist, conceptual design for which Boudicca have become synonymous.