There are some designers who just create fashion to be worn and adored; others create it out of a passion for texture and some designers, decide to take one step further to create collections that have a depth that you may not see at first, but once noticed, it’s inescapable.

Jolie Su is the fresh label created by Alexandra Sulzynska, a designer who in 2013 graduated with honors from the School of Costume and Fashion Design in Warsaw, Poland. Sulzynska’s French background plays a large part of her designs and eventually became the inspiration for her inaugural, and only existing, runway collection.

In 2013 Jolie Su presented “Sans-Culotte”. The collection literally translates to “without pants collection” and if you flip through the lookbook, you’ll notice that there are no pants included in the collection at all. Comprising of skirts and dresses, “Sans-Culotte” is deeply inspired by the French Revolution so much so, that there is symbolism behind every aspect.

Jolie Su has four words that describe the label: Courage, Femininity, Madness and Class. These are all represented in the “San-Culotte” with the strong French revolution keeping them steady. Femininity is shown by the fitted pieces that extenuate the models body. The mix of fabrics defines courage where we see sleek silk styled together with navy pleather creating an innovative texture.

Madness is probably first seen by the model’s hairstyle; although slightly odd, when you focus on the clothing, the madness is highlighted more so by the pieces as they are cut in unexpected ways for that certain fabric. Lastly, class is represented throughout the entire lookbook. From the avant-garde theme, to the brilliant use of shadows behind the model creating that necessary depth, the photography and the clothing, which uses colour more so to define class.

With the French Revolution being the sole inspiration behind the lookbook, each aspect has a symbolic influence represented. The multi-functionality of the collection symbolizes hypocrisy, whereas the transparency in pieces represents the fragility of fashion trends. Shining fabrics are longing for wealth and jersey stripes shown in various silhouettes represent the most popular pattern during the French Revolution. The futuristic style of the collection represents the impact that the Revolution had on fashion in the present and in the future, which brings us to our final idea, will the future of fashion have this much detail and meaning?

Alexandra Sulzynska has an eye for detail and although we are in love with “Sans-Coulette” we hope her next collection will be just as meticulous at this. Detailed collections such as this take a large amount of time to create and once Julie Su’s following collection is revealed, we can debate on what her inspiration will be and when we shall revel in it.

http://joliesu.com

Words / Lauren Payne