September 21, 2025 |
Roksanda’s 20th anniversary show cemented her reputation for artful, interesting and imposing clothes, with a collection inspired by modernist sculptor Barbara Hepworth. Gowns had curving, undulating cut outs which framed the skin beneath and reflected the artist’s preference for nature-inspired shapes as well as her distinctive use of cut outs and her obsession with negative space. You could see the reference but it never felt laboured. Roksanda is too sophisticated for that. Many of those cut away elements – an undulating curve around a back, sliced half moon over a torso or off-centre oval, were made from laser-cut bonded velvet which created a sculpted yet supple look.
Roksanda consistently nails modern grandeur – she makes a big dress look fresh with cut, colour, technique and texture. She deployed raffia to great effect for volumous, wired skirts and lavish stoles which rustled with every step. Roksanda handles volumes as deftly as her sculptress muse. The designer’s ballooning trousers were perfectly pitched between drama and wearability, whilst wire-hemmed panniered crinoline gowns bounced joyfully down her catwalk like glamorous alien creatures.
Photography courtesy of Roksanda.
