RETORI presents Syntropy, its Spring Summer 2027 Chapter 05 collection, through a dialogue between founder and creative director Salma Rachid, the creative team and Chinese American artist Ye Zhu. The season considers the relationship between spirituality, matter, memory and personal growth, using objects and clothing as carriers of lived experience.
SPRING SUMMER 2027
Zhu grew up in Brooklyn after his parents migrated from the agrarian Taishan region of China to New York. His mother’s gardening practice influenced his view of art and life as acts of cultivation. His work combines shaped wooden panels with clay, ceramic, aluminum, natural fibers and objects connected to personal history, creating dense pieces that bring painting, sculpture and assemblage together.
RETORI translates Zhu’s ideas about connection and growth into a modular wardrobe designed for movement and adaptation. Draped silhouettes shift between softer and more structured forms, reflecting the organic compositions found in his work.
The palette takes cues from Zhu’s canvases. Tilled-earth tones, open-sea shades, butter, tobacco, sand and moss green sit alongside lilac, ice blue, orange and aubergine. Platinum and aluminum silver introduce metallic accents throughout the collection.
RETORI’s signature Double construction returns in lightweight wool for womenswear and menswear. The shawl-collared coat appears with a deconstructed three-patch-pocket jacket, a sculptural bomber and softly tailored menswear. Brushed wool shapes cocooned tailoring, while linen-silk fabrics appear in enveloping jackets, belted outerwear and Bermuda ensembles.
Menswear also includes cotton poplin pajama sets with bowling or long-sleeve shirts paired with long or short trousers. The Packable Series develops further through waterproof trench coats and bombers designed for urban use.
Evening pieces focus on transparency, reflected light and fluid construction. Envers satin appears on its lustrous reverse in draped forms, asymmetrical skirts and trousers. Platinum-toned fringe introduces additional surface movement and metallic texture.
One of Zhu’s works, Mending River Body, informs the exclusive Galaxy motif. The constellation print appears in champagne with platinum foiling and in a nocturnal blue version, extending the season’s interest in memory, connection and celestial imagery.
Knitwear takes a more tactile direction through organic stitches, wave constructions, three-dimensional spirals and net geometries. Metallic lurex yarns form translucent and ribbed structures, while cotton, silk and cashmere combinations create raised spiral patterns. Menswear uses degradé silk knits, textured cotton and layered constructions. An embroidered “x” motif returns throughout both wardrobes as a symbol of interconnected identities.
Accessories continue the symbolic language through leather brooches shaped as florals, lizards and scarabs. RETORI also introduces hammered leather belts, degradé silk foulards and bucket hats, while men’s loafers extend the footwear offering.
