1 Mar

Jiri Kalfar AW20 at London Fashion Week 2020

Our planet was once a garden – a paradise – where flora and fauna flourished and where nature existed in sync and was respected by humankind. Imagine. What a paradise it must have been. The inspiration for this collection is taken from just that, a chance to revisit the Garden of Eden. In this romantic idea, Jiri understood that to reimagine a vision of Eden is now only possible with the assistance of technology.

The show was also a homage to the British choreographer, Wayne McGregor, who is one of Jiri’s idols. Greatly moved by McGregor’s “Eden Eden” show, which premiered in 2005 in Stuttgart, where Jiri studied at the time, and with his background as a dancer, Jiri wanted to recreate the emotion he felt from this performance into fashion.

Combining the haute couture way of creating garments, such as embroidery and hand-stitching mixed with modern day technology, Jiri aims to create a demi-couture sustainable collection for today’s culture, yet with a humble reminder of the tradition and elegance of the past.

A spectrum of pinks, greens and browns draw on aspects of nature such as flowers, trees, and the beauty of animal markings. The natural world also informed the selection of ethical materials such as Buddhist peace silk. This all comes with the recognition that sustainable fashion should still be fun – this collection is playful, full of colour and challenging cuts, but made consciously with locally produced and locally manufactured materials right down to the bohemian crystals provided by Preciosa.

Sustainability in AW20 – Originally trained as a ballet dancer, Jiri’s fashion showcases his innate sense of movement and style, but having quickly immersed himself in the industry, he became aware of the environmental consequences of garment creation. Jiri aims to keep his carbon footprint as minimal as possible through local, zero waste production and the use of sustainable materials such as cruelty free peace silk, organically dyed fabrics and upcycled pieces.