LFW: Rohmir

Rohmir’s creative director, Olga Roh, has taken inspiration from ‘The Silk Road’ for the AW/12 collection. ‘The Silk Road’ refers to a historical network of trade routes that were used to connect Asia with the Western World, which means that a vast number of cultures have infiltrated her designs. The collection showcased this afternoon in presentation form, at VFS, Freemasons Hall.

Olga Roh hails from Russian nobility and, since her talents were honed at the University of Bern in Switzerland, she has led the past-paced lifestyle of a high-powered businesswoman. Founded in 2007, Rohmir is a label that bears a strong relationship with it’s designer’s own experiences of the cultures and traditions she has encountered. Today’s presentation was the epitome of multi-cultural fusion – Parisian meets Middle-Eastern influence. With tea and canapés of course.

The set up was idyllic, a candlelit tea party with various models circulating around the room. There was enough dress changes to keep photographers on their toes, and every design provoked an excitable chorus of ‘Oooohs’ and ‘Aaaahs’. In terms of hair, all of the models were given luxurious soft waves, the effortless just blow-dried look of the naturally beautiful. Makeup was equally understated but glamorous, with full lips and a sandy gold shimmer across the eyes. Some models were more made-up than others, signifying the extent to which the collection spans from day to evening wear.

The outfits that were set out on mannequins all had a touchable quality. Rohmir has blended unusual fabrics together in her appreciation of different cultures. The collection gave off a kind of magpie effect. In other words, it gave the impression of taking all the best bits and putting them together as a kind of personal keepsake.

The collection blended opulent metallic with soft French wool and slim fit cashmere. If there were ever a fancy dress box titled ‘world’ then this would be it. Unusually, many of the softer fabrics had more detailing, for example green, pink, and orange woolen fringing, and an exquisite gold striped mohair jacket. The woven silk pieces tended to be matt black.

Roh was bashfully hidden in the shadows, an onlooker to her own presentation. I for one would have been thrilled with the reaction. Her guests weren’t spectators; everyone was made to feel like part of the set up.

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