The Rise of Ralph & Russo in the World of Haute Couture

A lavish evening gown at Ralph & Russo's Paris Autumn/Winter 2016-17 collection. Cover picture and all photographs by Elli Ioannou 

One of the highlights of last month's Paris Haute Couture Week was the beautiful collection by London-based Australian duo Ralph & Russo. Just two years ago, they became the first British-based couturiers in a century to show collections in the French capital. Our special correspondent Elli Ioannou looks at Tamara Ralph and Michael Russo's meteoric rise in the world of global high fashion

A finely embroidered dress looking stately in Paris

FANTASY worlds, make believe and daydreams are not realms for children only. Behavioural psychologists from Freud to Jung encourage adults to tap into their inner child, feeding their imagination with play and creativity. Like a modern day Hans Christian Andersen fable, Ralph & Russo's new collection was romantic and full of mystery. A Utopian fantasy, their world of blossoms, butterflies, flora and fauna flourish in harmony. As guests were seated at their latest Paris show, including Lil Kim, Jordan Dunn, Petra Nemcova, Sonam Kapoor and Adriana Lima in the front row, visual hints of what was to come in the collection could be seen in the design of the runway entrance itself. Framed by an Art Deco arch with panels of Midnight Blue floral panels it was completed by an angled mirror ceiling that added a surrealist effect with reflections of the models on the catwalk.



Creative director Tamara Ralph & CEO Michael Russo

Based in London, Ralph & Russo is the only British fashion house to be elected by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture to show its collection on the official schedule at Paris Haute Couture Week. Didier Grumbarch, the Chambre Syndicale’s former president, said they have a ‘savoire faire’ which many more established couture houses have lost. It was in January 2014 that Ralph & Russo became the first British-based couture company in 100 years to show its collections on the Paris Couture Week schedule.

One half of the label is Australian-born Creative Director Tamara Ralph while the other is her partner CEO, Michael Russo. Ralph says she always knew that she wanted to be part of the world of haute couture as her mother and grandmother were both couturiers for society ladies in Sydney. When Ralph was 10 years old they began to teach her about sewing, two years later she was making clothes for herself and friends. By the time she was 15 years old, Ralph was selling her designs to private clients and independent boutiques in Australia. She then went on to study at the Whitehouse Institute of Design in Sydney before moving to London and establishing the house of Ralph & Russo. It all started when Tamara Ralph first met Michael Russo by chance in London in 2003 when she was on holiday and he was working as a financial consultant. They fell in love and after a long distance relationship for a year, he bought her a ticket back to London and she began designing and making clothes on a small scale in the British capital.

Jaunty hats are a key part of the A/W16-17 collection

Three years later the pair created Ralph & Russo and in less than 10 years it has grown into a global high fashion brand. Today, their London atelier has a hundred skilled artisans including embroiderers, tailors and designers who work in toile, chiffon, velvet and silk. The size of the atelier is remarkable in Britain and is even larger than one of the world's top haute couture houses: Chanel has an atelier of around seventy artisans. Ralph & Russo have built up a client list with more than 600 London-made haute couture garments that can cost up to $500,000. A large percentage of their work is bridal and Tamara Ralph says many of the gowns are made for royal weddings. Other high profile clients include film stars and famous entertainers: Angelina Jolie met Queen Elizabeth and received her honorary damehood in a custom-made grey Ralph & Russo suit, Beyoncé has worn costumes designed by them on tour and Gwyneth Paltrow wore a slim pink, one-shouldered dress finished with a large rosette for the Oscars.



A fluid Seventies aesthetic ran through the Paris show

Ralph & Russo have presented six shows on the official Paris couture schedule over three years and now could receive an official ­appellation from the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. This would make them Australia's first haute couturiers. Known for their dedication to true couture, Ralph & Russo are gently pushing boundaries in their design direction with innovative new techniques, including a new fabric made by fusing silk and tulle. For their latest collection in Paris, styles, forms and hues are inspired by a distinctly Seventies, British aesthetic but with references to Ralph's favourite1950s silhouette. This was further accentuated by over sized hats from the same period and presented alongside soft, sexy and feline layers of flowing floor-length evening gowns and skirts. A variety of the other dresses also had delicate embroidery on sheer fabric and feathers and lace.

Blossoms & flower motifs on a 70s style coat

One of Tamara Ralph's key inspirations are gardens and the Autumn-Winter 2016-17 collection included peonies, tulips, and roses plus hand-painted blooms, embroidered crystals, glass beads, pearls and appliqués of petal-shaped feathers and mink pompoms. The wilderness part of the garden aesthetic included laser-cut butterflies and metallic embroidered dragonflies. The flower-power theme continued with blossoms and other floral motifs that were rendered via silk 3-D cut outs and beading. The volumes vary from billowing silk chiffon gowns and capes to sheer tulle bodysuits and silk flared skirts to shift dresses. There was an old world Hollywood glamour to it as well with pink tulle gowns with plunging necklines, silk organza skirts and tops embroidered with golden thread. “In general, we wanted a more modern ’70s feel, so we made everything lighter with more of a relaxed vibe, with all of those elements we love from the 70s but done in a very chic way,” Ralph said after the Paris show.

Thigh high slits exposed Ralph & Russo's signature luxe shoes and boots with their fine and intricate detailing. Accessories have become an increasingly important part of the collections and are more accessible than the custom-designed dresses. This season they created hats, including wide-brimmed styles and helmet styles that clung close to the head. The hats along with the collection of shoes and handbag gives everyone the chance to have a piece of Ralph & Russo, Michael Russo said after the runway collection.



Shanina Shaik closes the Paris show

The Paris show ended with the haute-couture tradition of the spectacular wedding gown. A long visual pause of darkness with just a shaft of icy blue light was the precursor to the finale. Some guests even stood up to leave, thinking the show was over. Then a dramatic silhouette showing an exquisite bridal gown appeared and Australian model Shanina Shaik closed the show in a dress embroidered with thousands of tiny beads in a floral pattern with a sweetheart neckline. The wedding dress was finished by a flowing cape, also embroidered with organza flowers, and a white floral headpiece. Shaik slowly walked down the runway, pausing and posing.With one last seductive turn, she exited to a cacophony of enthusiastic clapping and shouts of  'Bravo!' ~ an endorsement of Ralph & Russo's graceful aesthetic celebrating beauty and femininity.

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Australian designer Tamara Walsh and Michael Russo after the presentation of their collection in Paris 

 Australian model Shanina Shaik wears the lacy bridal gown at the finale of the Ralph & Russo show

Body-hugging lace and embroidered dresses and capes featured in the collection

Silvery embroidery and hats added a glamourous vibe to the Seventies ethos

 Brilliant floral designs and finely detailed handbags created a feminine collection

Dramatic hats add to Ralph & Russo collection of accessories line

Wide-brimmed hats and full sleeves with cut-outs continued the 1970s theme

 Silvery butterflies add another layer of refined decoration to this flowery dress

Flowers, butterflies, leaves and feathers all show how Tamara Ralph was inspired by a lush garden 

 Hand-painted blooms, crystals and pearls created the richness of the collection

Pith-shaped hats recall Tamara Ralph's signature 1950s silhouettes

Ralph & Russo's London atelier has a hundred artisans that work on their embroidered creations 

 A model leaves the Paris runway framed by lustrous flowers and mirrors above that the reflect the runway

The Majesty of Couture: Guo Pei's Spectacular Collection in Paris

Glimmering gold and rich embroidery at Guo Pei's haute couture show in Paris. Photograph by Elli Ioannou

Chinese couturier Guo Pei was relatively unknown in the West until Rihanna wore that extraordinary yellow gown with it's giant train at last year's New York Met Ball. This year, Pei is one of the first Asian designers to be invited to become a guest member of Paris' Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture. Our special Paris correspondent Elli Ioannou examines her spectacular second collection for Autumn/ Winter 2016/17 in the French capital



The 1920s inspired this glinting evening gown

THE opulence of ancient China, the polished style of European royalty and the drama of Hollywood screen goddess' gowns were just some of the inspirations for Guo Pei's second haute couture show in Paris. As guests entered the vast domed hall of the the Bourse de Commerce, the Paris stock exchange, it felt more like coming on to the set of a grand opera than a fashion show. Silken Guo Pei embroidered cushions with a dragon motif were there to sit on and a classical piano added a sense of calm to the cacophony of guests arriving and paparazzi photographing celebrities in the front rows.



A sleek, form fitting gown covered in shimmering sequins

A long curved wall in a muted reflective bronze with a subtly mirrored floor, added to the sense of a stage set. As the models walked across the enormous space, each gown appeared grander and more extravagant than the previous look, many worn with tiaras: a collection suitable for a royal princess or a film star on the red carpet. The artisanal work and skill that goes into the gowns is unusual even in the world of couture, some of the sequining took over three years to complete in Pei’s atelier in Beijing. There were four different themes, all designed to make a grand entrance, signalled by a change of lighting colour: silhouettes and motifs from the 1920’s with slender, sequined evening gowns; high Edwardian looks with lavish collars and a profusion of jewellery plus spectacular Hollywood dresses looking like something from a Disney fairytale with enormous hooped skirts.

Guo Pei's palette of brilliant, glistening colours

The rich colour palettes included Royal blues, electric reds and shimmering golds. Guo Pei designs luxurious couture that is all hand-made to order and the demi-couture is completed by hand as well. Each piece has an unusual attention to detail and her atelier uses traditional talismans of good luck and longevity in her embroidery, such as the symbol of the dragon, butterfly and phoenix. The designers draws from her own cultural heritage combined with influences from 1920s and 1950s Western haute couture. Her designs are certainly not for the faint-hearted but for the woman who wants to make a statement.

The lavish evening gowns look out of a fairytale book

Guo Pei first came to international attention when Rihanna wore one of the couturier’s gowns to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Gala in New York last year. The spectacular yellow, fur-trimmed gown with an enormous circular train was also embroidered with silver floral patterns and took more than two years for her studio to create, weighing about 25 kg on completion.

Contemporary yet luxurious gowns are Pei's signature

Although now based in Paris, Pei was born in Beijing and studied fashion there, graduating in 1986. Three years later, she had become a senior designer at one of city's independently owned clothing companies, leaving in 1997 to set up her own fashion brand. Pei's fashion style is still influenced by designs from the traditional Chinese imperial court and many luxurious pieces are in her collection are made using silk, fur and embroidery.

Dressed to be modern-day princesseses

Before she came to Paris, her work included fashion collections in Beijing and designs for the closing ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics where she designed the dress worn by Song Zuying during her duet with Plácido Domingo. The dress had 200,000 Swarovski crystals hand-sewn into the white gown. Pei has also done costume design for the  film The Monkey King wich was nominated for a Hong Kong Film Award last year. Pei’s works were also exhibited last year at the annual exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, titled China: Through the Looking Glass.


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Contemporary materials yet old-style Hollywood glamour exemplify Guo Pei's super luxe haute couture collection in Paris.

 Exquisite embroidery and layers of sequins capture Pei's ability to create both luxury and a contemporary silhouette.

The glittering evening dresses highlighted the shape of the body 

A Victorian silhouette with lush accoutrements was one of the collection's highlights 



As the models walked across the enormous space, each gown appeared more spectacular than the previous look

Each gown has a great attention to detail and her atelier uses traditional talismans of good luck and longevity in her embroidery, such as the symbol of the dragon, butterfly and phoenix

Although now based in Paris, Pei was born in Beijing and studied fashion there, graduating in 1986



Three years after graduating in Beijing, Guo Pei had become a senior designer 

Edwardian luxe with high colours, a profusion of jewellery and draped velvets evoked the collections eclectic inspirations



Famous in China, fashion designer Guo Pei was a relative unknown in the West until Rihanna wore that extraordinary yellow gown with it's giant train at last year's New York Met Ball

This year, Pei is one of the first Asian designers to be invited to become a member Paris' Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture

The opulence of ancient China, the polished style of European royalty and the drama of Hollywood screen goddess' gowns were just some of the inspirations for Guo Pei's second haute couture show in Paris

A collection suitable for a royal princess or a film star on the red carpet. The artisanal work and skill that goes into the gowns is extraordinary

 The rich colour palettes included Royal blues, electric reds and shimmering golds. Guo Pei designs luxurious couture that is all hand-made to order & demi-couture is completed by hand as well



Bouncing pleated skirts gave the collection a festive atmosphere along with the sleek evening gowns

  There were four different themes, designed to make a grand entrance, signalled by a change of lighting colour




A form-fitting gown that shimmered under the lights with heavily embroidered sleeves

A gown of fluttering scalloped edges created one of the more experimental shapes in the collection 

Richly embroidered materials were combined with plain yet brilliantly hued fabrics for dramatic effect

A long curved wall in a muted reflective bronze with a subtly mirrored floor, added to the sense of drama of a stage set

Reflections of a 1950s New Look skirt twirled on the glittering runway

The diminutive designer makes her bow at the end of her runway show at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris.

The Cosmos & Nature in Yuima Nakazato's Futuristic Collection

Shimmering, holographic origami with transparent, prosthetic arms at Yuima Nakazato's innovative presentation in Paris. Cover picture and all photographs by Elli Ioannou

Inspired by the cosmos and nature, neo-futurist Japanese designer Yuima Nakazato showed for the first time as a guest at Paris Haute Couture week. The designer's shimmering, otherworldly collection of holographic origami gleamed from the darkness in the depths of the Palais De Tokyo, creating kinetic architectural sculptures, reports our special correspondent Elli Ioannou



Glimmering, kinetic architectural designs

EXISTENTIALISM, altruism, mysticism, science and philosophy are not subjects often tackled in works of fashion. But recent collections by innovative designers are expressing a new approach to the creative process, exploring new and deeper meanings in their work. 

Often the clothes are not separate from the human form but rather an extension of the body, like a second skin. Many of these ideas are at the heart of Japanese designer Yuima Nakazato’s work presented at his AW16/17 Hate Couture show in Paris. The designer says at the basis of his design theory are three elements: the cosmos, the future, and nature: “With Fashion we can imagine and create the future of humans".


 Iridescent, shimmering colours inspired by Iceland

Descending three flights of stairs into the belly of Paris' Palais de Tokyo for Nakazato's first haute couture show, there is art graffiti covering the walls and it feels like entering the dim internal sanctum 

of a modern-day pyramid. 

A trianglular shaped motif runs through Yuima

Nakazato's presentation, beginning with the fluid runway's shape: two yellow-taped lines converging into an incomplete 'V' marked the areas where guests stand. 

Dramatic blue lighting in the industrial space of polished concrete frames stairs at either end. Adjusting to the dim surroundings, you can just make out the photographers' pit already overflowing and looking more like a human installation under the azure lights. An avant-garde crowd slowly funnels in, some standing behind the yellow lines, while others choose a higher perspective from the stairs and balcony.



 Glassy, vivid make-up created an otherworldly look

The pre-show backdrop feels and looks a lot more like a Berlin club than a Paris Haute Couture show. 

 

The designer's new collection is inspired by a recent trip to Iceland. Nakazato creates a powerful otherworldly sense that captures the country's snowy landscape. 

The holographic textiles are woven origami-like, shimmering under the light, to create kinetic architectural sculptures. The choice of colour palette, including iridescent ice blues, greens and purples and the shape of the garments in an A-line form created using 3D technology, all add  to the shimmering strangeness. Elongated body proportions reflecting ancient Japanese deities also seem imbued with of Avatar–like characteristics.



 Long, faux arms enhanced Nakazato's futuristic collection

The models’ arms were made to appear extra long using blue prosthetic arm extensions whilst others actually had knee-length glass arms. 

 

The seemingly air-brushed make-up suggesting David Bowies’ Major Tom, along with the dramatic lighting and the models' robotic motion with glassy-eyed expressions all reinforce Nakazato’s sci-fi inspired cosmos. 

The models final stance ended in a symbolic triangle shape. The cosmos, futurism and human existence are all themes in the recent presentations in Paris by Issey Miyake and Yuima Nakazato, both bound by their common thread of Japanese culture. 

Like Miyake before him, Nakazato is experimenting with the construction of materials using new technology which is at the core of his design process. He wants the couture collection with it's methods and materials to be made available immediately in stores. Nakazato is planning a new system of combining of couture and ready-to-wear which he believes is the future of fashion.



Nakazato has been called a neo-futurist in fashion design, one of the artists and architects who believe in the future of cities, their capacity to offer emotional experiences, experiments with new materials and new technologies to provide a better quality of life. Nakazato's presentation is the first by a Japanese designer at Paris Haute Couture since 2004, as a guest of the Fédération Française de la Couture. A Japanese designer has not been on the event’s official calendar since fashion pioneer Hanae Mori retired 12 years ago. Nakazato is a guest member at the haute couture, an honour bestowed on up-and-coming artists who have passed a rigorous screening process.

 Designer Yuima Nakazato backstage at his show in Paris

The designer was born in Tokyo 30 years ago and says he learned much about the freedom of expressive art from from his sculptor father and mother, a metal carver. 

His family home is filled with giant art objects and made a strong contrast to strict Japanese schooling. With artists as parents, Nakazato was surrounded by art from early childhood and he says that the years of seeing and watching his parents' work, performing arts, stage design, and costumes have all have influenced his work. Nakazato was the youngest Japanese to graduate from the Fashion Department Master’s Course at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.

 Avant-garde boots finished the collection

So avant-garde were his shoe designs during his degree show that they were acquired by the Antwerp Mode Museum (MoMu) for their permanent collection. He was also awarded the Innovation Award by Ann Demeulemeester for his graduation collection and won the International Talent Support (ITS) Fashion Competition held in Italy, one of the two largest fashion contests in the world, in 2008 and 2009. The following year, Lady Gaga wore his Black Fire Dress in Japan. After graduating, Nakazato launched his own brand in 2009 and three years later was opening Tokyo Fashion Week.

French Haute Couture is evolving and expanding by acknowledging designers such as Yuima Nakazato who push boundaries in technology, design and culture. The Fédération Française de la Couture is recognizing and fostering emerging talent which offers a new perspective compared to couture collections of the past and provides a thought-provoking antidote to some of the bigger commercial brands more anodyne collections.

Scroll down to see highlights of the collection 

Yuima Nakazato says his designs are based on three elements: the cosmos, the future and nature. 



The designer won awards for his early work even as a student and has designed a costume for Lady Gaga

 Nakazato uses new technology and traditional Japanese handcrafts to create his work

The designers shoes are already in the permanent collection of Antwerp's Museum of Modern Art



French Haute Couture is evolving and expanding by acknowledging designers such as Yuima Nakazato who push boundaries in technology, design and culture.

The designer was born in Tokyo 30 years ago and says he learned much about the freedom art offered from his sculptor father and metal carver mother. 

Backstage in Paris dressing a model for the AW16/17 presentation

In the belly of the Palais de Tokyo, guests wait for the show to begin 

The guests at the show in Paris all had their own colourful style