Refresh - Spring Summer 23
As the focus has shifted, today we tend to explore proportions and strip away notions of status and gender. Somewhere between gloom and ultimate hope, “Refresh” is an individualistic play on classics where Rory presents his “new minimal”.
Numbered looks, one by one, the silhouettes are classic yet bold however very much wearable. The sort of clothes that make you look effortlessly cool. An understated design with fuss-free utility, precision and integrity, reflecting the enduring power of simplicity. Rory William Docherty, RWD, focuses on the creative process where drawings evolve into paper maquettes, are enlarged and draped into fluid and sculptural forms, refining the conceptual into garments that feel reassuringly familiar yet aspirational. A surprisingly romantic touch is ever present at RWD blossoming in handmade silk and cotton flowers, on delicate silk strings. This season the standout piece in full bloom is ‘Le gilet en soie Floral’. Raw silk handwoven on vintage looms used for generations, bursts with over fifty handmade flowers. Each takes over an hour to make and is thoughtfully placed and hand sewn on. Inspired by drying hydrangeas, & created from hundreds of meters of bias-cut silk and cotton, including remnants of past season prints- mindful and creative in response. Rory is a designer who values the process of creation.
Italian cotton gabardine takes the classic trench to new heights. An updated icon - all the hallmarks of a classic, yet enormously proportioned, with a dropped collar, low-slung belt, and D-ringed sleeve, sets the tone for the season.
The ‘Re-work Jean’ is created from a carefully sourced pair of vintage jeans, chosen for their unique wear achieved over time. No two are quite alike. Meticulously taken apart and reassembled, retaining the slouchy fit of the original bigger pair, with a new smaller waist. The chino cinch back references traditional workwear, adjustable for a personalized fit. In a Limited edition of 12, each numbered & signed, with their own individual tote bag.
Rory’s own original drawings and paintings continue as prints on billowing silk in floating botanical shapes. The signature poetic look remains constant, offset by a new focus on relaxed tailoring, with an everyday elegance appearing in ivory summer wool, and drapes of black Japanese triacetate. Architecturally inspired pieces by, this time, Japanese paper cotton present a balance, structure and lightness. Melting together with the background as if it were taken from his artist atelier, the Spring Summer 23 collection was captured in Paris in collaboration with Samuel Drira and Cecile Bortoletti.
The total looks are completed with the new foray into footwear. Carefully considered and precise- flat with an elongated, close in or slip on, in leather and nubuck.
Standing upright like sculptures, totemic, poetic with a spirit of optimism, lightness, and verve. Refresh is a collection of classics, designed as seasonless staples that can stand alone or mix and match with soigné nonchalance. In tandem with this change, Rory embraces the transition into optimism with a vintage sensibility, earthy yet somehow also luxurious with a feel of gentle ease.
