ROKSANDA took to the Barbican Sculpture Court, one of her favourite spaces, to host her spring-summer 2024 collection during London Fashion Week.
The contrasting elements of her fluid silhouettes paired with the unworldly and brutalist architecture of the Barbican made the centre a thoughtful venue to host the show.
The London-based designer who is known for her feminine silhouettes and contrasting colour blocking, exhibited a ravishing show presenting garments of flowing shapes that burst with vivid colours.
The show commenced with a performance by British soprano, Isabelle Peters who filled the space with gentle vibrations of music.
Roksanda was influenced by her Serbian heritage for the latest collection, taking inspiration from the monasteries Gračanica, Studenica and Žiča — their fresco paintings and its association with purity briefed the delicate garments.
Time-honoured robes embellished by hand-loomed gold threads were reimagined into something more contemporary with its use of the fil coupe technique and printed lamina. These pieces echoed the tactile and fragile nature of the intimate collection.
The garments capture the themes of masculinity versus femininity through impressive tailoring which has gone through a transformative process and brutalism outlines are mirrored through shaped jackets and pencil skirts fabricated from Argenta wool-silk blends.
Painted-like figures crafted using screen-printing adorn the garments demonstrating fragments of blank space amongst the light pinks, lemon and lamina shades giving the collection a sense of impulse and freedom within the refined silhouettes.
Contrasting textures appear in black technical nylon and blended wools in ecru and pale pink paired with glossy panelling. Sheer fabrics which expose the female body in unexpected places allude to the essence of gentleness through accuracy.
The collection further displays elements of contrasting textures through its use of creased hand-pleating. Seamless silhouettes are created through boning used to prompt pleats into unconventional shapes which in turn create their own reality with an independent-like structure in relation to the wearer.
Precisely cut relaxed silk melanges and recycled taffeta drape the body as they contour the soft yet striking curves of the wearer’s framework.
The collection showcased themes of life coiling throughout concrete constructs with its circular metal-made shapes which entwined amidst the elderflower and pewter satin that accompanied it — these added accessories gave the garments a sense of transformation and intimacy.
The clothes also displayed silk twill with hand-crafted marbling in bright shades, acid yellow coupe and textured jacquard in colours of chamois and water chestnut.
Alongside this, the garments portray elements of structure and power which showcase themselves through the continuous play on couture in contrast to utilitarian, overall presenting components of masculinity. In addition, Roksanda displayed signature-style bags seamlessly constructed in the brand’s studio.
by Nicole Pereira