Bobby Kolade Autumn / Winter 2014, photography by KOWA-Berlin.com
On 2nd April 2014, on a warm evening in Berlin, designer Bobby Kolade presented his Autumn / Winter 2014 womenswear collection titled ’39’. The show was staged at Galerie Patrick Ebensperger, a big white space across several floors. Here and there, artistic objects such as a huge silver metallic spiral dominated the room, marking the way to an improvised bar where the audience could order a long drink. The seats in the main room were covered with white paper in order to celebrate paper as a basic material associated with creativity and creation. Paper show posters were also distributed at the entrance, featuring a drawing by former DASH contributor Uli Knörzer.
The designer opened the show with some light summer looks, in particular cropped trousers paired with corsets that showed some bare skin. Nicely cut suits followed; slightly cropped trousers with tailored jackets and big lapels. Some of the jacket backs and sleeves were sliced open and added a nice playful detail to the classic attire. The audience saw khaki parkas and loose-cut woolen coats. A long coat and two skirts deserve special attention, made of Buluko cotton cloth that came from the South of Ethiopia. Neoprene coats in bright, flashy colours such as canary yellow and melon pink, as well as stiff waistcoats in grey and copper made it onto the runway. The coats and jackets, especially those cut from neoprene, were the key element of the collection and were striking in their simplicity and boldness. The cropped wide sleeves of the outerwear in combination with the vivid colors and neoprene material gave the pieces a cool and youthful touch.
In addition, the bags, which Bobby Kolade created in collaboration with designer Malin Bernreuther, were among the standout pieces. The bags were made of bark as well as expander rope in fishnet optic, with the option or two‐tone grey/orange or tricolor orange/grey/yellow. They looked just beautiful and added a nice colourful touch to the looks. Open shoulder corsets with structured cups, tops with flounces to the front and bias-cut flounced skirts paired with jackets had a classic feminine appeal compared to the cool and funky outerwear and accessories. Add canvas slip-ons to the looks and you get the feeling that Giorgio Armani has suddenly decided to design a streetwear collection.
Classic meets street with a dash of avant-garde, with shoes designed by Parisian shoe label Rombaut. Despite the feeling that the corsets and flounces were perhaps off-theme, the collection was interesting and offered some nice, casual pieces perfect for a big city lifestyle.
Veronika Dorosheva
