During her quest for traditional craft producers, the designer found her Spring/Summer 2016 collection inspiration in elaborately embellished traditional costumes and garments from the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Once again, the female silhouette and orthopaedic elements from the 18th century resurface to fuel the label’s key and founding inspiration. Beyond the designer’s Austrian heritage, Marina Hoermanseder’s collection also reflects her unmistakable penchant for summery blooms. The results are girlish and gentle designs, accentuated by sculptural leather, leather strap and buckle accents. Here, the gossamer, fragile nature of the lace served as a blueprint for eyelet embroidery-style handmade leather applique, while a country garden inspired the countless fine leather blossoms found on static skirts and on corsets. Ingenious basics – think lightweight blouses with puffed sleeves and princess seams, premium crepe hand-smocked balloon pants or a reinforced lace blouson – round out the harmoniously extravagant collection.
Combined with its perfected colour scheme of powder pink, rich blue, pristine white, muted lavender and a pastel shade of grass green, Marina Hoermanseder manages to conjure up a delicate and feminine effortlessness – one that is defined by exceptional craft and a strong sense of tradition.
For this show exclusive, Marina Hoermanseder collaborated with Austrian architect and designer Julia Körner. The result of their cooperation is a two-part corset, reproduced on a 3-D printer with an elaborate stereolithographic technology. The corset’s design recalls the texture and feel of the smock used throughout the collection and links – not only through its straps and buckles – traditionally crafted clothing with today’s progressive, digital developments.