Jean Pierre Braganza Fall 2013: London’s slash-master brings galactic samurais to Toronto Fashion Week
See the Jean Pierre Braganza Fall 2013 collection »
Samurais from outer space. Ancient Greek mathematical theories. The bad guys in Frank Herbert’s cult sci-fi novel Dune. These are but a few of the places Jean-Pierre Braganza found inspiration when creating his Fall 2013 collection. The London-based Canadian designer brought his séance-ready pieces across the Atlantic to present them to a select gathering of editors, bloggers and fashionable friends last night at The Shows in Toronto. Models with pin-straight hair accentuated by a sumo-wrestler bun (courtesy of Pantene hair wizard Justin German) strut down the runway to an ambient-industrial soundtrack, their heels so high they had front-row regulars feeling anxious.
While many of the looks featured Braganza’s signature asymmetrical colour-blocked pieces, he introduced several key motifs and custom prints, each calling out to be worn by The Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen, or maybe David Bowie—a white tuxedo by Braganza recently made an appearance along with Tilda Swinton in Bowie’s video for “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”. The sci-fi influence was undeniable in the Alien-esque print featured on floor-grazing gowns, knee-length dresses and low-slung pants, while belted kimono jackets kept things right on this season’s Eastern-influenced trend.
There’s no denying that Jean Pierre Braganza’s work is striking upon first glance, but there are many subtle details in his pieces that were revealed after the designer took his runway bow to a track by electro-goth duo Light Asylum. In a post-show chat with the Royal Ontario Museum senior curator Dr. Alexandra Palmer, a plaid-clad Braganza spoke in support of the English mill industry, where he sources much of his fabrics, and discussed the technique and vision behind his Fall 2013 designs. His “divine geometry” motif was not drawn on but rather created using a laser-cutter on leather, and the intricate prints took Braganza hours upon hours to design on his computer. “I’m a glutton for punishment,” he said. To that we say, bring it on.
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