For those who attended the numerous runway shows during Fashion Rio in April 2013, there was a consensual agreement that label Maria Filó presented one of the strongest collections for Spring/Summer 2014 in a display of sartorial ingenuity that confirmed its position as one of the most influential and creative fashion brands in present-day Brazil. Founded in 1997 by Célia Osório in Rio de Janeiro, Maria Filó is currently under the creative direction of Roberta Ribeiro, Osório’s daughter.
For Spring/Summer 2014, Ribeiro found inspiration in floral designs and in the symbolism that flowers have in Thai culture and religious rituals and translated her underpinning concept through a most poetic sartorial vocabulary. The appreciation for what could have been considered yet another fashion commonplace resulted in a succession of stunning prints and three-dimensional flowers delicately handmade like origami pieces from silk zibeline and sown onto the garments. In addition, the conceptual interpretation of the textures found in the manufacturing of basketry and weaving (as a representation of the objects that contain flowers and garlands) was masterfully interpreted in the geometric layers of patterns in flowing satin and in woven knitted pieces. And to strengthen the multi-dimensional role that clothes can have as the embodiment of a sensorial connection of the body with the enveloping empirical world, textures, patterns and colours were brought together in beautiful metallic jacquards and in embroidered flowers and birds applied onto woven or printed fabrics.
If floral patterns have been used as a sartorial trope for centuries, they have certainly been celebrated (with varying degrees of success) by numerous designers over the last couple of years. With its Spring/Summer 2014 collection, it is safe to say that Maria Filó is joining Paul Smith, Dior and Stella McCartney as one of the labels that has produced some of the most accomplished floral patterns witnessed over the last few seasons.
