Chopova Lowena remains one of the most compelling young labels on the London Fashion Week calendar, a brand whose collision of Bulgarian folk craft, subcultural energy, and maximalist construction has earned it a fiercely loyal following. So it was a disappointment this season to learn that Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena opted out of a physical show, presenting their Fall Winter 2026 collection, titled “Too Ripe and Ready by Half,” through a lookbook instead. For a label that thrives on spectacle and communal energy, the absence of a live moment felt like a missed beat.
That said, the collection itself is anything but quiet.
The premise is a mash-up of Regency-era dress codes and the global culture of golf, a pairing that sounds absurd on paper but lands with the kind of irreverent confidence Chopova Lowena has made its signature. The designers describe their girl as “learning Regency era slang and practicing her long game,” and the clothes follow suit. Cameos clash with argyle. Pearls sit next to knickerbockers. The early 19th century meets the putting green, and the result is a wardrobe that feels simultaneously historical and deeply playful.
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The golf references run deep. Patchworked bodice knits, traditional kilt skirts, trouser-shorts, and an elaborate golf bag jacket all nod to the sport’s sartorial codes, but filtered through the brand’s unmistakable lens. Butterflies appear as a recurring motif, guests on the course, adding a layer of whimsy to pieces that already refuse to sit still. The sportiness that has always defined the Chopova Lowena universe takes on a communal dimension here, less about competition and more about grabbing your friends and hitting the back nine together.
On the Regency side, the references are rich and specific. Ribboned and roll-hem knitwear, wide square necklines, low and buxom boned skirts, and a proliferation of beads and roses pull directly from the period’s silhouettes and ornamentation. Rose sleeves, popular in the era, appear on crisp white blouses and romantic black mourning dresses. Beaded picture dresses and skirts made from pony beads on cotton pay tribute to widespread beadwork traditions, a craft element that connects to the brand’s ongoing interest in handwork and material heritage. The Britishness of it all, from highland tartans to the chokers of London girls, grounds the collection in a sense of place even as it reaches across centuries.
Two special projects anchor the season. First, the designers have upcycled their own deadstock fabrics, merging the flocked denim of Fall 2021 with the crazy camo of Fall 2024 in a denim suit, and the pretty plaids of Fall 2022 with the dainty lace of Fall 2025 in ballgown frocks. A deadstock carabiner skirt with a collaged leather belt continues the mix-and-match approach. It is a smart move, both environmentally and creatively, turning the brand’s own archive into raw material for something new.
Second, Chopova Lowena introduces “Chopova Lowena Feelings,” an always-on intimates collection that splashes poetry across the body, honoring what the designers call “primal emotions from joy to fear.” Accompanying tees and sweat sets round out the offering. It is a commercial play, certainly, but one that stays in character, extending the brand’s emotional maximalism into everyday basics.
The lookbook imagery, shot against painterly backdrops that recall faded pastoral murals, captures the collection’s tension between refinement and wildness. Fur-trimmed boots anchor voluminous skirts. Cartoon-print mesh tops sit above tartan carabiner skirts with lace hems. A patchwork cardigan over argyle tights and pom-pom-adorned Mary Janes delivers the kind of head-to-toe pattern clash that only this label can pull off without tipping into costume.
Still, a lookbook is a lookbook. Chopova Lowena’s strength has always been in the energy of its presentations, the sense that these clothes exist to be worn in motion, in groups, in celebration. Viewing them in static images, however beautifully composed, inevitably flattens some of that charge. The closing sentiment of the collection notes, “from the ball to the fairway, we want to send a message of community and togetherness,” reads differently when delivered through a PDF rather than a room full of people.
The talent is undeniable. The craft is meticulous. The ideas are sharp. Here is hoping the next season brings Chopova Lowena back to the floor, where the clothes and the community they are built for can do what they do best.
Discover more of the collection in our gallery:
