SS15 PREVIEW| Dioralop

Andreja Bistricic and Maja Merlic are the Croatian duo behind the edgy fashion label Dioralop. With qualifications in textiles and technology, womenswear design and experience interning at Alexander McQueen studio, Andreja’s work is complimented by Maja’s architectural background. The pair are best known for their texturally rich and graphically printed constructions. The Dioralop founders have offered us a sneak preview of their upcoming collection and a behind the scenes look at their work.

Fashion Scout: What can we expect to see in the SS15 Dioralop collection?

Dioralop: Our collections are always inspired by Polaroid pictures which were created by intentional spills of chemicals and by exposing them to different temperatures. This way the pictures become different colours. Play off of Polaroids is our signature in every collection as we think this technique has inexhaustible number of the most unpredictable colour combinations. This season our prints are a bit different. We lost colours and patterns are the only thing left. Again, we are playing with losing the difference between genders and androgyny, so you can expect to see a few boys walking down the catwalk.  

FS: How would you describe this season's narrative/themes?

D: We have two main themes this season. Our first sources of inspiration are the original skinheads of the 1960s. The skinhead movement itself was started by working-class youths in England. Instead of opting for the flamboyant, fancy-dress escapism of the Mod and Teddy Boy youth cults before them, the skinheads embraced working-class fashion: cropped hair, meant-to-last shoes and boots, white T-shirts and worn Levis. They also borrowed from their working-class West Indian neighbours, adopting trilby hats and crombie jackets, peg-legged striped suits and a love for ska, the Jamaican music that mixed Latin beats and American jazz melodies and was the forerunner of modern reggae. The original skinheads loved to dance to these ska beats, often frequented all-black nightclubs and had, by the end of the decade, several Jamaican "skinhead reggae" records and bands they loyally supported.

Our second source of inspiration comes from head-to-toe tattooed women of the 1920s.

According to scientists, the earliest record of tattoos was found in 1991 on the frozen remains of a Copper Age 'Iceman' dating from about 3300 B.C., the art of tattooing has been practiced in Japan - for beautification, magic, and to mark criminals - since around the fifth century B.C. By the end of the Twenties, American circuses employed over 300 people with full-body tattoos who earned up to $200 per week.

FS: Describe briefly the design process from conception to show day.

D: Every season we experiment with Polaroid prints, and we never know where it is going to end. The same principle is used until the final product. Sometimes we like to surprise ourselves. We are just spectators of our own work and our design process - which is fun!

FS: Is there any stand out piece in the collection that you're most excited about?

D: We are definitely excited about digitally printed pieces complemented with embroidery.

FS: What kind of woman do you design for?

D: Uncompromising, aware and individual.

FS: What is the most exciting thing about showcasing with Fashion Scout?
D: Fashion Scout platform gives great opportunity to young designers around the world to showcase their collections to fashion insiders. We have been a part of Fashion Scout Paris showroom for two seasons now and we met amazing people and made great connections, so we are really thrilled to have an opportunity to have a catwalk show to bring our work to the next level.

By Lia Stokes, Contributor, (@LiaStokes).

Images, courtesy of Dioralop.