Running Through Wheatfields; Roksanda's SS25 Show for London Fashion Week and Her Message
Finding the beauty in nature
Roksanda has always been a brand with character. Her pride on being a woman designing for women is channelled through her work with her love of nature and her Spring/Summer collection for 2025 is no different.
The ready-to-wear collection features their iterations of up-and-coming trends whilst also branching out in their own eccentric, creative way. It features a mix of colours, with both dark, rich, blues, browns and blacks with bright, floral colours, such as: Camellia, yellow jasper and passionflower, in true Roksanda fashion.
Showcasing ‘Femininity’:
Roksanda has focused on ‘challenging perceptions of traditional femininity’ and its versatility is clearly portrayed through this collection with it’s range from ‘puffy poodle skirts’ from the 50’s and regency inspired dresses with bows and ruffles, to leather and corporate suits. Through its different designs, it melds old with contemporary and celebrates all aspects of femininity with an empowering confidence.
Versatility is also shown through the models’ hair and makeup with simple, stripped-back, natural looks, guarded by large mesh fascinators that provide ‘shelter and refuge’ whilst protecting natural beauty; ‘I like my designs to give women that special feeling of standing out while being sheltered at the same time’. The accessories in this collection hold their own symbols with oversized handbags for practicality and belts and ties to accentuate female curves much like 18th century regency wear.
‘Wheatfield- a confrontation’:
Roksanda has always taken inspiration and aimed to uplift female artists through her work. For this collection, She took inspiration from Agnes Denes, a Hungarian American artist and her collection, ‘Wheatfield- a confrontation’ where the artist grew a wheatfield next to the World Trade Centre in New York in 1982. This statement of growing crops on land worth $4.5 billion demonstrates where society needs to put their value and this statement is demonstrated in a similar way through this collection.
Wheat has been mimicked through the use of feathers featured on both the dresses and the shoe-wear, a collaboration with Fit flop, and having the wheat flowing in the open air whilst walking on a corporate skyscraper, the Brutalist Space House, really captures the message Agnes Denes was communicating.
The image of wheat also draws back to the designer’s roots in Serbia, tying back to her cultural heritage with her stating that she ‘grew up with songs about harvesting wheat’ which emphasises her statement that ‘it’s not just about the clothes; it’s about the culture’. Cultural heritage is such an important theme that has been channelled through fashion, with designers communicating their identities through their collections and it’s a beauty in itself. Roksanda was also, in her early days, an architect and that can be seen through her structured designs and use of shapes.
Trends:
When analysing the colour pallet for the spring summer collection in 2025, Pantone described it as ‘heritage charm with modern sensibilities’ which couldn’t be truer. Through Roksanda’s collection we see a myriad of floral, earthy and elemental colours that are a breath of fresh air compared to the muted tones that have been popular recently.
Even though Roksanda has her own individual style and likes to break out from the crowd; there is definitely a few up-and-coming trends that have been incorporated into these designs. For example, we are seeing the resurgence of the controversial dress-over-trousers look from the 2000’s; a true victim of the fashion cycle. This is showcased in her looks with her tiered, asymmetrical dresses that have a bright bold colour on top and are paired with a charcoal trouser. This trend has been threatening a return for some time and although many aren’t sold on the idea, this collection uses it to its advantage to further infer the idea of shelter and safety in a darker colour and coverage.
The popular ‘cut-out’ designs have also made a comeback, particularly in the suits, around the hips and waist to accentuate the natural lines of the body. This is just another example of Roksanda using modern trend as a tool to convey her message that connects all her designs of female beauty and the beauty in challenging traditional femininity. Overall, this collection is well-crafted, thought provoking, and inspirational to other designers.