A mesmerizing exhibition, set up at the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, built by the same man who build King’s Cross tube station, offered a great view on the clothes, but also on the British Victorian Era.
The mix between the Victorian architecture and the interesting cuts at TOGA, made the presentation all the more fascinating. As Fashion Weeks are in general quite catwalk oriented, this exhibition set up an interesting tone for the 3rd day of London Fashion Week, and personally, I loved it!
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The collection, called “Fragment, Reflection, Floating” could not possibly be described better by any other 3 words. The interesting combination with fabrics and mirroring pieces was simply perfect, when exhibited on perfectly polished pedestals that reflected the grounds. Set in an impressive architectural space, the clothes simply matched the mood of the day. It could not have been better!
The brand’s logo
Photo courtesy of Outasights.com
Now, let’s see a bit of the history of the brand!
History
TOGA, a brand founded by Yasuko Furuta in 1997 is one of Japan’s most prominent brands to emerge in the last 20 years. The designer, graduate of the esteemed ESMOD Paris and winner of the prestigious ANDAM prize in 2007, he has shown collections, both in Paris and in Tokyo, growing his audience as years passed. Making his debut in London with his AW14 in February, he has steadily grown his public in the city of novelty, creating a calm and interesting space to show up to during the fashion week craze.
The name of the brand comes form the true meaning of the word toga, which means ” blessed robe”, and the designer, bearing that in mind creates clothes with a hidden complexity and nuanced layers, that invite the viewer to discover the concealed meaning behind the materials used.
This collection has exactly the designer’s perfect match of mystery and nuanced layers, as the complexity of the materials and the research behind it, created the perfect narrative for this exhibition. On the sounds of a great jazzy kind of band, the models walked to their pedestals and constantly changed clothes.
The mirror fragments on the clothes became part of each piece, but could be taken separately as accessories which reflect the world outside in clear, unexpected ways. The meaning of the mirror is enhanced by the name of the collection: “Fragment, Reflection, Floating” as the reflection in the mirrored pieces gives the impression of floating in the space of the exhibition, but their fragmented side makes the floating reflect in different ways on the same garment.
The designer took inspiration for the floating colors in Serge Poliakoff’s abstract paintings, who was a French modernist painter belonging to the ‘New’ Ecole de Paris.
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While being there, I have taken several photos trying to catch the atmosphere of the exhibition, which I absolutely adored, and could not put into words.
Here they are:
And a little bit of the details, as for this brand, the details made everything have sense and create a narrative of the collection. The hair and make-up was pretty minimal, but it all blended so well, that I have found it perfect!
Do you share our opinion regarding Toga’s exhibition?
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Feature image: splitshire.com
