By Yelena Stear
Love for the craft is too often lost when navigating through The Hunger Games-esque nuances of the fashion industry. Yet it is incredibly refreshing (as a fashion student) to see the fashion school born duo behind Chopova Lowena approach their craft with the same curiosity and childlike wonder time and time again and never miss. So, I pose the question. Did curiosity really kill the cat? Or is that what the ‘make it profitable’ part of the industry want us to think?
The duo’s yearning to create collections with a special recipe of two or more historical and cultural contexts and sprinkling in a little sporty flair is quite telling of their inner childlike curiosity. ‘What do you mean we can’t mix American Football and Bulgarian folklore costume dresses together? What about if we combine the style influences of Tiny Broadwick (the first ever woman to jump out of a plane) with 1910s silhouettes? Oh! And fold in some rave culture from the 1980s too? Mum please! Pfft whatever. We’re doing it anyway.’ And they did, as they should! Because, and say it with me, fashion has no rules!
Their Fall 2026 collection is yet another playful marriage of historical elegance and sport. The mischievousness of the early-19th century paired with golf kitsch. Regency-era silhouettes and knickerbocker functionality. Pearl elegance and midi-skirts resembling golf bags. Cat and dog fursonas, butterfly motifs and many renditions of reticule bags are a charmingly curious celebration of girlhood and its many hobbies. After all, the collections title Too Ripe and Ready by Half is Regency slang used to describe women that were ‘always up to something’—in this collection’s case that something is both tea time and tee time.The duo’s commitment to sustainability continues. Subtle notes of dead stock fabrics used in past collections leaked into thirty-eight new looks so perfectly. Longevity inspired by their restless curiosity for re-invention.
Shown on mannequins for this season’s offering, the garments urged attendees to slow down and well, be curious! An invitation to touch, feel and meaningfully examine the craftsmanship and story of each garment. While of course, in true Chopova Lowena style, indulging in a floral cupcake and trying your luck in miniature golf. A direct contrast to the hustle and bustle, and lack of interaction commonly felt at runway shows during fashion weeks everywhere.
Let this collection serve as a reminder to always be curious because curiosity is Chopova Lowena’s secret ingredient.
