As far as Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena are concerned, being called a witch isn’t derogatory — it makes you one of their own.
It might also get you a spot among their muses of the spring, all “folklore figures that were placed to set rules” such as Baba Yaga, Poland’s Morana and other sinister spirits who, ironically, had roles such as protecting homes or heralding the arrival of spring.
A London bowling alley was duly turned into a Slavic fever dream, with totemic items scattered around the place and branches growing indoors. Once guests were seated, it was time for a spooky take on 1950s league-night chic, congruent with the brand’s sports-meets-folklore collisions.
Morana, the Slavic winter goddess whose effigies are drowned and burned at springtime, appeared in a cropped shrug, low skirt and a white corset whose boning traced out ribs — pretty on the outside and ghostly at the core. A later black dress bristled with hand-cut, laser-cut chiffon spikes and spiky flowers, a softer but still “evil” take on Baba Yaga.
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You could feel the influence of Polish folk dressing in big puff sleeves, bands of ruffles and beadwork that shot out like stars, while their signature pleated carabiner skirt returned in a tapestry fabrication that harked back to the early days of the brand. A fresh twist was their eye toward modularity, where the full-on layers shown on the runway were composed of snap-on aprons, carabiner panels that could just as easily be clipped onto jeans.
Thrown in the mix were retro elements such as bowling shirts and house dresses inspired by 1950s bowling heroine Marion Ladewig, as well as a Doc Martens collaboration, slated to drop in November.
Pieces from their new Clubhouse merchandise, with messages such as “help me chop Owa Lowena,” were a reminder that the Chopova Lowena woman is one who is likely to possess agency — and perhaps arsenic.
