FOR AUTUMN-winter 2024, Chopova Lowena take to the seas.
Looking out of their studio window in Deptford, Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena-Irons were inspired by the sailing club and boat launch positioned by them on the River Thames. Daily rituals by sailors are performed on the waterfront, echoing the inherent foundation of the brand – tradition – which led them to take this into their new collection.
Exploration and courage took centre stage as the pair looked at how to be daring within a water-based realm. Presenting a bungee dress, bubble skirt and huge stompy boots, ideal for walking through murky waters, bold and striking silhouettes are the new uniform for boat trips.
Looking at how to utilise fabrics inherent in a sailor’s life, mariners’ nets were interpreted through hand-crochet panels to creates a 1940s shape midi-dress, whilst sea fairies were copied from vintage mainsail designs and screen-printed onto jeans and sweatshirts.
Blouses were presented with large sailor collars and seersucker material made its debut at the brand finding itself neatly falling off their famous carabiner skirts.
Whilst a heavy focus for AW24 is adventure, femininity is brewed through the focus on wartime weddings. Both haunting and romantic, the haste at which these would take place pushes aside large festivities and puts the emphasis on clothing.
Emma Chopova’s grandparents’ wedding photograph is printed on t-shirts and dresses with beads and slogans drawn around it. Knitwear, hand-beaded in India, serves as a relic of love that inspired by mementos wives would give to their husbands before going to war.
Whether it be pit-stop marriages or a daily trip on the waves, Chopova Lowena’s distinct ability to blend two opposing ideas in their bold creations proves to be their unwavering undercurrent.
Taking the painstakingly beautiful idea of love with the mundane regime of sailors and bringing these two together, the result is an eclectic sea adventure bound to take you further than the banks of London.
by Imogen Clark