Chopova Lowena’s Spring Summer 2025 show, titled Cheerlore, transformed London Fashion Week into a surreal game day, where folklore collided with varsity culture. The collection staged a clubhouse of girlhood, inspired by American football and cheerleading while rooted in the silhouettes of Southern Bulgarian Karakachani dress. In true Chopova Lowena style, it celebrated both the collective energy of a team and the rebellious spark of individuality.
SPRING SUMMER 2026
The collection captured the tension between blending in and standing out. Varsity sweaters and pleated skirts mingled with the label’s signature carabiner skirts, while new additions like sport jerseys, track pants, and oversized faux fur coats expanded the vocabulary of the brand’s “uniform.” Football lace-up bras, pom-pom jackets, and ball-shaped bags literalized references to sport, while shoulder-pad panniers pushed the silhouette into new, exaggerated forms. 3D-printed boots played the role of cleats, protective and ornamental at once, embodying the show’s commitment to performance and play.
Bulgarian folklore remained a key presence, grounding the spectacle in heritage. Belt buckles and tiered dresses, inspired by traditional Karakachani pieces, were reworked into zip-off styles that morphed from maxi to mini, offering modularity in step with contemporary life. Chainmail, referencing folkloric jewelry, wrapped models in both protection and history, situating girlhood within a lineage of toughness and resilience.
Beyond the runway, Cheerlore expanded into multisensory territory. A collaboration with Sony saw the brand’s Alto bag reimagined in fleece, styled to carry headphones, while Chopova Lowena introduced its debut fragrances, Green Ruth, Queen Rosa, and Hay, Zhasmina!, each carried down the runway as mascots perfumed the space. A partnership with Chilly’s outfitted the proverbial water boy with leather harnesses carrying steel bottles adorned with Chopova Lowena charms, layering humor with functionality.
The show’s soundscape, composed by Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena-Irons, was a collage of absurdity and sincerity: Bulgarian folk remixed into jungle and dub, NFL coach stomps, toy rabbits chanting cheers, ASMR role play, and even Darth Vader therapy-speak. It was chaotic and specific, a rallying cry for “the weird girls everywhere,” as the designers framed it.
Cheerlore reinforced Chopova Lowena’s place at the intersection of nostalgia, folklore, and eccentric subculture. It honored the archetype of the cheerleader, part athlete, part performer, part leader, while twisting her into a figure of resilience and subversion.
