ZSIGMOND DORA menswear's Spring/Summer 2018 collection, titled E N R O B E D is brimming with agricultural references. E N R O B E D refers to the long garments in the collection, which form a cocoon around the wearer, and to the walnut which served as a dye for the fabrics used. Dóra Zsigmond, the designer mentions the loose trousers, the most iconic piece of Hungarian peasant menswear as the main inspiration of her collection.
Each year, the designer centers her collection around a traditional artisan technique.
She used traditional knotting and embroidery techniques in her previous collections. This year she dyed garments made of sackcloth with a brine made of raw and dried walnut leaves and hulls. Loose trousers and robe-like jackets are key pieces of the collection.
The fraying, unfinished edges of coarse-wefted shirts and tops, the randomly placed patch overlays reference the austerity of flour sacks. This solemnity is dissolved by the playful, hidden details, such as unusual placement of zippers and tie closures, through which the wearer can build a personal relationship with the garments.
The message "inhale the past — exhale the future" screen-printed along the center back of a pair of jackets is in line with the core philosophy of the brand: trendsetting renewal becomes relevant through the language of archaic cultures.
"What's in your bag? What's important for you?" This has been the fundamental question for the designer while creating the collection. Not only at the theoretical level, but also at the level of raw materials, since the fabrics used in the garments were made decades ago and purchased from country estates. These old cotton canvases of varying widths were home woven and have not been used before. Dora freshened the fabrics with a plant dye made of raw and dried walnut leaves.
A video shows the dyeing process. The two resulting colors, raw sand and khaki green, provide the subtle shades of the collection, which were assembled into a patchwork, resembling haphazard parcels of small fields typical of terraced farmscape. The trousers and tops made of this fabric summon the overall look of military camouflage.
Other textiles, such as the water-repellant material used in the hooded jacket, add modern functionality to traditional features.
The multitude of trousers with various tailoring details are a result of unique product development and provide fresh, dynamic wearing experience to the wearer.
ZSIGMOND DORA menswear
The brand's style is characterized by clean, modern, square silhouettes and a fresh spin on traditional craftsmanship. The garments carry the marks of practicality and unique, personalized artisan techniques, both in use of material and in signature lines. The pieces are sleek and functional, and in their structures, both the trendsetting freshness of contemporary Japanese streetwear and the strict, rigid code of authentic Hungarian menswear are present. Dóra Zsigmond's main goal is to create a personal relationship between the products and the wearer with her outfits. She believes her customers find a particular kind of nostalgia in their products, a kind of homely comfort and security, which provides a base point in our constantly changing environment.
Photo credits: MBFW
