Fashion / House Of Poplyn Closes Fashion Art Toronto With Royal Punk Collection

House Of Poplyn Closes Fashion Art Toronto With Royal Punk Collection

Fashion Apr 27, 2015

by Meaghan Elizabeth

Poplyn's Royal Punk Closes Out Fashion Art Toronto

On Saturday night, designer Tanushree Pande debuted her second collection for the House of Poplyn label at Toronto’s alternative fashion week, Fashion Art Toronto — |FAT|. Pande’s ten-look couture capsule collection — dubbed “Royal Punk” — closed out the five-day event to a full house.

Made In Canada

Having earned her honours BA in fashion design and technology from Pearl Academy in New Delhi, Pande has been working as a fashion designer for 10 years, launching her label, Poplyn, two years ago after moving to Toronto in 2012. She explains that she kept things simple and more wearable for Poplyn at first. “Last year I did a very wearable collection so that I could get my name out there,” she says. But this year, she felt more comfortable in her surroundings and wanted to “make something that I love.”

Pande began experimenting with ideas for her latest collection just a few months after her runway showcase at |FAT| in April 2014, starting work on the 10-piece collection in November 2014. Composed of custom-print fabric and lots of tulle, the collection was 100 per cent hand-made in Pande’s Toronto studio with the help of two student interns.

Pande highlights that all fabrics started off plain and unembellished, with each beaded detail or ornamentation put together by hand through hours of work — something which may not be apparent without an up-close look at each piece. She notes that the decision to pursue a hand-sewn technique rather than a quick time-saver such as glue was to ensure the right texture, quality and longevity for each garment.

Under the Microscope

The origins of Pande’s “Royal Punk” name are a little out of the ordinary. She explains that the inspiration behind the collection was the world of microorganisms — minuscule life forms that are everywhere, whether we see them or not, making them “punks” in the sense that they are always around and beyond our control.

From there, the collection’s name and narrative expanded to encapsulate a double entendre, incorporating rock and roll features with heavy chain accessories and dramatic makeup.

Everything in the collection has a microscopic feel of some sort. The colour palette of white, black, blue, green and red comes together with intricate beading and textural embellishments to evoke imagery of microscopic bacteria, plant cells and starfish. Mirror details symbolize the microscope that these life forms are viewed through.

Well Received

House of Poplyn’s “Royal Punk” collection was the perfect fit for the week’s closing show time slot. The intricate handiwork and completely original look of each piece made Pande’s latest collection the definition of wearable art — and therefore a perfect example of the alternative design that Fashion Art Toronto supports and stands for.

Pande sees 2015 as a year of growth for her label. As she continues to build the brand, she hopes to pursue both a wearable prêt line under the name POPLYN and a more experimental collection like this year’s creation for |FAT| under the House of Poplyn name.

poplyn_royal_punk_fashion_art_toronto_2015

^{_{All images are credited to Jonathan Hooper}}

Meaghan Elizabeth

Author

Meaghan Elizabeth is the founder of Fashion Savage and works as a fashion blogger and social media consultant. With a Master of Arts degree in the social sciences and over eight years of professional and academic writing experience, Meaghan brings a u...

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