Fashion Scout x Lone Design Club Present: FAMALE & Sofia Tureková

Slovak Fashion Council designers came to London to present their collections, stealthily devouring our hearts and hypnotising us with an Eastern European vision.

Lone Design Club studio based in Covent Garden brightened up gloomy weather with creative presentations including two Slovakian designers: FAMALE (Petra Famlerova) and Sofia Tureková. Both designers are a part of a project named ‘Who am I’ that evolves around confusion. At the influx of thousand stimuli and a constant feeling of ‘I must be doing something’, we might feel left behind or even worse: like we lost our identity. Continuous insight into people online led to comparison: Am I good enough? Do I do enough? Is resting productive? Spiral of thoughts master a mind, and it’s hard to escape. ‘Never-ending opportunities create stress to Gen Z when trying to define their own identity, and the social media phenomenon dictates them what’s right for them.’ Through ‘Who am I’ initiative Sofia and Petra told us their stories.

FAMALE is a gender-neutral brand that blends together male and female garments, creating a safe space for all humans. “The message behind the brand is that the collections always have a concept that’s provocative or have a meaning to people; to make them think about what’s behind the clothes, not just the clothes themselves,” says Petra. In a performance, models have been dressing up themselves. The reason was not only to present all the pieces but also to convey authenticity. “Why not show the people what’s going on behind the curtains? I wanted to show the process of how you dress up. It’s real clothes on real people.” she admits. The question about a future is a tough one for her. What she knows is that she wants to continue with the brand and create: “that’s my main, main goal.

Sofia Tureková, a 2021 CSM graduate, explores the unique notion of luxury via a hybrid combination of experimental sculptural approach, innovative 3D draping, and a new narrative design. “Most of the research for a collection happened during a pandemic. I came across this traditional bobbing lace making. It’s a technique of pulling threads and making lace by hand. It’s barely documented, but I started learning it, and I wanted to push it to another, experimental level,” says Sofia, while describing the process of creating (p)Laced. During the presentation, she served us live music. The violin in the background let us sail in Sofia’s world. A world of shapes, textures and colours.