LFW AW22: Roksanda collaborates with Fila and launches purchasable NFT

London Fashion Week favourite Roksanda held her first physical showcase since 2020 with a catwalk event in the halls of Tate Britain to present her autumn/winter 2022 collection, which included an unlikely sportswear collaboration with Fila and a colourful installation by Irish artist Eva Rothschild.

In the show notes, Roksanda explained that the collection explores the “duality between realism and dreaming, ever-present within all of us,” offering comforting, cocoon-like protective layering, as seen with her collaboration with sportswear brand Fila, as well as sophisticated beauty in her statement eveningwear.

This was a collection filled with colour and exaggerated detailing. With billowing duvet-like dresses, an anorak reworked into a ballgown, complete with bubble hem, and silky soft dresses elegantly pinned together with metal pins that felt more like jewellery, glided down the catwalk in block colours and adorned with swirling prints.

Tailoring and outerwear also made a statement, with oversized and classic shapes featuring subversive details such as hidden double lapels, quilted sleeves, high side slits and bright pops of contrast lining. While high-waisted voluminous trousers with cuffed hems and utilitarian-style layers from jumpsuits to jackets for the day.

The Serbian designer also added sustainable touches, with recycled polyester fibres woven onto silk organza and set free into fringes, while other pieces featured organic cotton, sustainably sourced crepe, vegan leather and recycled polyester taffeta.

Roksanda x Fila

With the pandemic creating a shift to loungewear and sportswear, it is hardly surprising that designers like Roksanda want a piece of the action, and for AW22 she unveiled an unexpected collaboration with Fila.

The Roksanda x Fila collection is described as “an encounter between two very different identities to create a new one, at once unexpected and authentic” and includes a selection of leggings, T-shirts, sports bras, and quilted puffer coats, alongside padded bags, and oversized moon boots.

It offers Roksanda’s dramatic shapes, signature romanticism, and vibrant colours with the technicality of Fila, inspired by the themes of shelter and protection. This resulted in humongous duvets that wrap the body, while leisurewear was inspired by parachutes incorporating Fila’s technical and high-performance fabrics, all in a bold colour palette that included fluorescent pink and orange.

“Growing up in Serbia, I cherish personal memories of how much we all loved Fila pieces coming from Italy,” said Roksanda in a statement. “This collection allowed me to give a new point of view on such a beloved heritage: one that merges my shapes and colours with a sense of performance and the outdoors. The soft, enveloping message is perfectly timely, I believe.”

Roksanda enters the metaverse

The womenswear designer also launched a series of NFTs (non-fungible token) as part of her AW22 collection in a partnership with Clearpay, transforming her demi-couture, sculptural gown in a geometric print into an NFT by the Institute of Digital Fashion.

It marks the first time an NFT has been shoppable on a luxury brand’s website in pounds, rather than in cryptocurrencies and has been launched in a tier system, ranging from 25 to 5,000 pounds. In addition, the physical dress on the catwalk will never go into production, the only way to buy it is as an NFT.

Institute of Digital Fashion co-founder and creative director, Cattytay added: “This digital garment pushed the boundaries of Roksanda’s creative imagination. Designing with digital in mind first was a first for Roksanda, allowing their imagination to run wild, whilst IoDF made sure to bring these creative dreams to life with our atelier.”