Jonathan Tagle observes that the Dobre collection at Men’s Fashion Week evoked Romanian tradition.
As part of London Collections Men aka Men’s Fashion week, I received an invite to Florin Dobre’s menswear Autumn/Winter Collection 2016-17 show. Entitled, ‘NEPSIS. The Last (Re)Legion’ was held at Fourth Floor Studios, Commercial Road.
Florin Dobre is a self-taught, Romanian designer who made his debut in 2009, launching his eponymous label largely dedicated to men.
NEPSIS, the Last (Re)Legion represents a journey to Dobre’s origins, to the holy traditions inherited from his Romanian ancestors. The lines, and fabrics such as toile, wool, cotton and linen, evoke tradition and religion but are introduced with a fresh feeling brought by the designer and customised through his strong styling.
The wooden cross necklace is a very significant item in the collection, produced in collaboration with a talented carpenter from Romania.
In his latest A/W 2016 ready-to-wear collection, Florin seeks to blend the modernism and freedom of Western fashion with the traditionalism found in original Romanian clothes, put together in his own classic style. The message he wants to spread with this collection is that “if we do not fight against our minds, someone else will.”
At showtime, the Catwalk was not quite what you might expect. The models weren’t perfectly in sync: some were slow and some walked faster; and at the end of it, they all came out running!
That’s Florin Dobre for you.