This Sunday, February 15th at Lincoln Center, the Fall/Winter 2015 FTL MODA and FTL MODA LOVING YOU presentations took us on an unexpected journey of sophisticated lines, futuristic vision, and philanthropy.
The show began with Hendrik Vermeulen, a Cape-town based designer with deep connections to Italy. His Smoke and Mirrors collection featured custom dyed Italian wool, custom printed silks, and a heavy focus on brown leather. His use of African antelope and dyed ostrich feathers highlighted his roots. The collection was a series of nature meets fantasy with shades of greens, reds, and browns and the beauty looks facing featuring face painted flowers. The collection was part of his new prêt-à-porter label, Simply Vermeulen.
The journey continued with Rozelia Bot. The Romanian designer featured a sophisticated combination of romantic elements with modern details. The collection featured custom embroidered flowers against delicate iridescent chiffons and organza fabrics.The beauty looks were pure with soft eye lines and lips that helps enhance the natural beauty of feminine charm.
Landi Accessories followed with a ethereal white backdrop to the 100% Made In Italy accessories. The models were covered in slashes of white paint and minimalistic bathing suit-esque pieces, which helped highlight the colorful leather handbags in an impactful way. The collection featured luxurious details, ranging from exotic leather, furs, and intricate patterns woven onto the leather.
The presentation took an unexpected turn with Anthony Urzi, who is internationally renowned for his celebrity costumes and accessories. The show embodied the definition of fierce and kicked off two robotic lingerie looks that then stood guard for the rest of the collection. The collection featured a series of mesmerizing helmet masks, gold pieces, with lots of leather pieces with gold zippers. The pieces were truly works art with black metal corsets and hoop dresses and hinged metal pieces.
The final element of the show, FTL MODA LOVING YOU, was in collaboration with Fondazione Vertical, the most recognized Italian foundation that supports finding a cure for spinal cord injuries, and Models of Diversity, a London based agency that is focused in the training and preparing models from across the globe to find their way through the challenging talent selections rules. Their was a refreshing change of pace as wheelchairs, crutches, and amputees dominated the catwalk as part of the #MovingForward campaign launched by FTL MODA. This movement is giving access to disabled models from Spain, Italy, UK, US, Romania, and Russia.
