#zuocorp

Campaign for TOTEM jewellery 2016 

(images via marek makowski)

the young polish label zuo corp., which was founded only last year, seems to rather prefer taking on more amusing and challenging themes than the typical assortment of pretty gardens and vintage ships, picking, for example, little edie beale as inspiration for their a/w 2011 range.  thus, designers bartek michalec and dagmara rosa for s/s 2012 once again adapted something unexpected, telling polish site koktajl that they were drawing on (trans.) "the progressive impoverishment of luxury, which is required by the geopolitical situation in the world and people's desire for wealth seen through the prism of soap operas and pop culture." 

meanwhile, the polish site kobieta pointed out that there was some measure of the eighties power woman coupled with the minimalist aesthetic of the nineties creeping in.  the collection's colour palette was rather limited, with shades of cool gray, slate white, black, deep film-reel brown, and the season's powerhouse tangerine occasionally embellished by a snakeskin-like motif or some scratchy stripes, as well as shine and nubby texture.  as sophisti relates, materials included some types of plastic, wool, cotton, leather and silk.  they tended to see the collection as full of (trans.) "simple, well-tailored clothes," and i'd for the most part agree with them.  however, while a couple of other reviewers saw strong shades of the a/w 2011 louis vuitton show, i tended to couple the volume and strength more with céline's s/s 2012 range. 

the blog be in trend was probably the most uncompromising on the subject, and, to be sure, there were several comparisons that could easily be made: the dainty peter pan collars, the unitards, the texture, the shine, the sensuality.  but, on the other hand, i'd argue that there was something much more inherently minimalist to the zuo corp. show, the scarcity of embellishment and the emphasis placed on construction alone--as well as the point alemodelki makes in noting those (trans.) "(w)ide rounded sleeves tapering downwards"--speaks to me more of phoebe philo's work at céline.  true, zuo corp.'s woman for spring is more in touch with her sexuality (all those pencil skirts and strapless bra-type tops, after all), but on the whole she's smarter and more practical than the maid fetish fantasy vuitton was inviting the rich to play. 

and although fashion gates tended to agree that there was a dose of vuitton in the mix, they also admitted there was some measure of (trans.) "economical proposals - simple dresses and smart coats."  and indeed, if we took away some of those avant-y translucent pieces (to say nothing of those numbers that looked like underwear; i think we can dismiss these as for their more fashion-inclined clientele), there were enough pretty little shifts and skirt suits, plus the aforementioned dresses and dainty coats to keep the more conservative customer happy.  i'm not sure they really enunciated their more intellectual pursuits so well, but they've done a rather nice job of addressing both the fashionies and the moneyed women wishing to look it, so i think we can give them a passing grade for now.  the rest will come; the label is still quite young (see additional images at lula, styl, & facebook).

(watch the runway finale video here)