Entitled Petals, Minerals, Squiggles, this was Toga’s runway debut at London Fashion Week, and founder Yasuko Furuta did not disappoint with a beautifully laid out show, for which she filled the ethereally-lit hall of the Royal Collage of Surgeons with trees.
The foliage set the tone for the collection itself, which took inspiration from the natural world without making any attempt to replicate it as, according to Furtuta, to do so would be impossible. The designer likes to design clothes for what she calls complex women and this season’s striking day-to-night designs betrayed their own hidden complexity, both aesthetically and technically.
Furuta is known for her impeccable attention to creative detailing and this season, she did not disappoint, taking inspiration from the oceans to create metallic panels of fish-scale sequins and tulle pieces embroidered and printed in a way that is reminiscent of the colours of a jellyfish. Sheer or semi-sheer overlays or blouses also replicated the aesthetic of the strange, floating creatures of the sea.
Meanwhile, large ruffle appliques on coats or tiered dresses were intended to evoke Nepenthes Truncata, an unusually shaped tropical plant native to the Philippines.
The designer is also recognised for her innovations when it comes to fabric techniques, something that was obvious here as she spliced together patches of richly textured materials to create a mid-length dress or asymmetric top.
Elsewhere, she provided an opulent take on well-tailored day dressing, with satin blouses in rich gold and blue mirroring the blooms on the trees that made up her set.
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