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Dua Lipa wore it. Madonna is wearing it. Director Janissa Bravo and model Ella Mhoff wore it, and it whipped the street style into a frenzy. I’m talking, of course, about Chopova Lowena’s massive embroidered taffeta dress, attached to a beefy belt with carabiners (yes, mountaineering clips).
Made from recycled taffeta, these delightful wonders are the foundation of the London-based brand, which will be showing its first runway show on the second day of London Fashion Week on Friday. “It’s amazing!” Emma Chopova, in between planning a show earlier this week, spoke about the dress’ virality in a few breathless moments. “i don’t understand!”
“I don’t know how it happened,” added Laura Lowena.
It is a “classic” type, which reminds you of a kilt, or just a dress kind of Different,” Chopova points out. “It’s actually a lot of things we like to do. We love what we love. [you feel] You know what they look like, but we’re mixing up some ingredients.
“I like that more people can see different things in the dress,” added Lowena. “Uniform-related, schoolgirl, or kilt, or something really traditional.
“That’s right. Full” says Chopova. “Actually, like Loads A fabric that feels luxurious.”
A fashion week participant in one of Chopova Lowena’s famous dresses.
That mix of exotic and luxurious is what makes the brand so appealing to such a diverse group of women (including Harry Styles). But the clothes convey the joy the fans feel. Steph Jotka, who has been a cheerleader since the brand’s inception, says, “On my way to the show, every stranger’s head was looking at my dress, and kids were coming to make fun of my clothes. (She even helped the ladies put on the show.) “Emma and Laura design from a place of warmth and soul that bleeds into every outfit. It’s strong and radical and beautiful – dressing like the woman I want to be.
Zola Director Janicza Bravo in Chopova Lowena dress.
Women really want to make a statement with their clothes, but most of the things that pull that lever are difficult to wear or look really cheap. Chopova Lowena’s dresses and skirts—their hero products, though they produce colorful leggings and a really cool fleece jacket—are the kind you can forget about until a passerby laughs at your wild outfit. And, crucially, the build quality is amazing. The carabiners on the dress I bought last year fit neatly into the taffeta hem with little pale pink rubber rings; The brand’s voluminous dresses, which look like tents on the hanger, reveal a subtle 1940s-inspired column couture shape as they glide over the body.
What Chopova Lowena suggests instead is that souvenir clothes can be sources of violent pleasure.
Chopova Lowena did not intend to make luxury goods. “In the beginning, it was very difficult to find someone to make the clothes because they are very complicated,” says Chopova. “And that was very difficult at first. I think we weren’t overly concerned with quality, and we were lucky that our factories were okay. But the company quickly outgrew that arrangement, and when they made their final collection, they decided to find a factory that would make dresses that cost between $800 and $1,500.” “We want Things to do well. We want things to last, especially dresses. We went back and improved it,” he said.
Ella Mhoff in Chopova Lowena dress.
They care about the details of their pieces, such as buttons, straps and closures, to ensure they have as much manic sophistication as the rest of the item. “We don’t want to make discarded clothes,” added Lowena.
This is an interesting and aesthetically radical idea to hear. (Especially from designers in London where fast fashion is a chokehold on women’s wallets and brains) because something is subdued, muted, and so fixed in our minds. Instead, Chopova Lowena suggests, the clothes women currently flaunt in vintage stores could instead be a source of rebellious joy. And if you look at what’s on 1stDibs or Vestaire, or agenda-setting stores like James Veloria and Lily et Cie, they’re historically collectible statement pieces.
Fashion week participant in Chopova Lowena dress.
A runway debut is always a sign that a brand has bigger ambitions than the signbook allows. And while their clothes already inspire movement, the designers tell me they’re exaggerating and enhancing their details, and working in a rich narrative about the Bulgarian Rose Festival (Chopova was born in the United States, to Bulgarian parents, while Lowena is a native of the United Kingdom). From an industry perspective, it’s important to note that the designers both have a distinct understanding of giving women pleasure in things they want to keep forever and have a signature design. Very few emerging designers have both, and even an appointment at a major fashion house suggests they can build a sustainable business. Maybe today’s show will bring the new ladies their next note.
Rachel Tashjian is the fashion news director Harper’s BazaarWorking across print and digital platforms. She was before GQHe worked as the first fashion critic and deputy editor. Garage and as a writer in Useless fair. She has written for publications including Book platform And ArtforumAnd the invitation-only newsletter is a generator of great tips.
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