Part of the joy of leafing through a new Chopova Lowena collection is discovering what unlikely pair of ideas designers Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena-Irons have decided to mash together through their process of bewitching sartorial alchemy. (Skateboarding and folk festivals! Lacrosse and death metal! Turkish school uniforms and women’s jockey gear!) Yet while their eclectic interests have seen them rove the far corners of the globe—often returning to Eastern Europe, as a nod to Chopova’s heritage—this season, they found their initial spark of inspiration a little closer to home.
Merely by looking out of the windows of their Deptford studio, it turns out. “We moved to a new space by the river that overlooks a sailing club, and we just fell in love with all the sailing hardware and the gear,” Chopova explained. To counterbalance those nautical references—which spanned everything from zinc alloy trinkets inspired by the metalwork motifs found on historic ships, to a slinky Lycra bodysuit that burst forth at the waistline into a ruffled bubble skirt—they looked to the flurry of weddings that took place in Britain after the outbreak of World War II, hastily arranged before soldiers headed off to war. (As the pair observed in their show notes, “to venture out to sea is also to leave something behind.”)
Those nods to 1940s bridal gowns came in a series of delightful midi dresses with drop waists ruched around hand-crochet panels inspired by mariners’ nets, undercut with some Chopova Lowena edge courtesy of colorful camouflage prints, metal headbands placed over bump-its and barrel curls, and an especially fabulous new shoe design—the Stefanie boot—that features brogue-like buckles over the foot and up to the knee. “We made every brooch and every button and every little buckle,” Lowena added, with visible pride.
After all, another of the great joys of leafing through a new Chopova Lowena collection is the craftsmanship and attention to detail—and once again, this technical wizardry was impressive to behold. Most striking, perhaps, were the pair’s experiments with broderie anglaise, here in a moody black-and-red colorway decorated with what they described as “alien flowers” that were initially inspired by the lace detailing on 1940s bridal dresses, before being whizzed up in the wonky Chopova Lowena blender to create something eerie and spectral. “I think we’re getting more confident in how we use fabrics, and it’s always fun to create a piece in the kind of fabric you’d least expect,” said Chopova, pointing also to their use of faux fur for panels on trousers, and a lovely cotton blouse with a sailor’s collar in shiny white nylon that could be tweaked and adjusted with the help of pull ties.
Arguably the most charming details, however, came via the jersey tops and dresses decorated with photo prints across the chest—one featuring Chopova’s grandparents on their wedding day in the 1960s—which were then bedazzled with beaded embroideries in the shapes of talismanic hearts and flowers, or spelling out words like “sweetheart,” with an echo of the kitschy reliquaries you might find in an Orthodox church. Inspired by pin cushions that young women would make while their lovers were at war, it brought a welcome, more sentimental note to their mystical odyssey through the world of sailing. “For the one with my grandparents, it says, ‘We are forever,’” Chopova said, beaming.
Chopova Lowena’s growth has been pretty remarkable to witness, but their success lies equally in their savvy approach to building a business, whether managing much of their production via factories in Bulgaria or handling their own PR up until 18 months ago. One facet of this strategic approach is their decision to only stage a runway show once a year. (The two they’ve done so far have been knockouts, with their chopped-and-screwed soundtracks, inclusive casting, and community spirit channeling the spirit of madcap theatricality that defined London Fashion Week in bygone years.) But for their lookbook this time around, they decided to strip things back a little, photographing and styling the images themselves in the way they used to back when they started. “We wanted to tap into that DIY feeling,” said Lowena. All the better to let their incredibly accomplished—and immediately covetable—clothes shine.
