Using only fairtrade organic cotton, Wellington label KOWTOW’s latest looks for Winter 2013 are inspired by a Nineties kid and the nostalgia of youth in a fresh and edgy collection…
I recently attended the launch party for Kowtow Winter 13 collection, up at Wellington’s ‘Good as Gold’. Kowtow’s latest collection ‘Anywhere but here’ is inspired by dealing with the mundane realities of adulthood whilst reminiscing back to the simpler times of youth.
A nineties influence is relevant to the theme as well as the look of the range. At the launch, Kowtow Designer and Director, Gosia Piatek simplified the collection to me with an image of “a Nineties kid lost in society”.
While the overall aesthetic is still distinctively ‘Kowtow’ a few changes are notable in this collection such as a stronger focus on tailoring and an expansion in the label’s menswear.
A strong new feature is the introduction of print, with a black all-over triangle graphic sprinkled throughout the pieces.
Looking at the collection as a whole is like looking back in time through a refined kaleidoscope to scattered, hints of youth. Minimalism in the well-cut and geometrically-influenced pieces is juxtaposed with fluid drapes and wraps of fabric in others. The predominantly monochromatic colour palette is splashed with a vibrant and chic orange. The balance in contrasts relates to the idea of being torn between the inevitable fact of growing up, and the lustful nostalgia of innocent youth. Bold minimal accents and the contrasts in shapes keeps the collection fresh and edgy yet sophisticated and classic. This collection embraces the past all the while contemplating and accepting the future.
‘Anywhere but here’ definitely features a few twists to the basic Kowtow format. The team (pictured below) is adamant however in staying true to the original ethics of the label. All of the clothing is 100% produced from premium certified fairtrade organic cotton, and is dyed with Global Organic Textile Standard dyes. Being fairtrade and organic is the most fundamental part to the Kowtow business. Designer Piatek is constantly checking and making sure of the working conditions for the factory employees, such as fair wages, sick pay and subsidised lunches.
Kowtow has not only proved itself as a Successful New Zealand Fashion Label, but also an honest and pure business. They truly lead by example in demonstrating the possibility of running an ethical yet still profitable business. For more information on Kowtow and their latest collection, check out www.kowtowclothing.com
By Reema Alfouir, 12 March 2013
Photography Abby Burns
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