CONFIRMED: The Latest River Island Designer Collaboration

Jean-Pierre Braganza joins Eudon Choi, Georgia Hardinge and Katie Eary as the latest burgeoning designer to collaborate with River Island’s Womenswear Design Forum initiative. The 11 piece capsule collection for River Island Design Forum SS15 is classic Braganza; his very deliberate and seemingly contradictory, techno-organic signature style incorporates modern tailoring and drape, structured architectural panels and complex prints, which is perfect mix to create a look that is set to stand out. Jean-Pierre Braganza designs walk the runway at London Fashion Week  The seed for Braganza’s River Island collaboration was sewn during a trip to India when he noticed unlikely similarities between the speed, agility and beauty of a Kingfisher bird and the mechanical reality of a motorcycle weaving around the back roads of Goa. He notes ‘I imagined this girl who has a spirit of a Kingfisher – beautiful, wild, colourful and gone before you even knew she was there’. Jean-Pierre has incorporated the kingfisher bird with the robust silver lines of the motorbike engine to create striking prints. These have been  placed on structured crop tops, shift dresses, boiler suit and sheer shirt dresses to create eye-catching pieces for the popular high street chain. Stonewash tencil dresses, boiler suit and shirt dresses are used to add an element of casual day dressing to the range. The black organza bomber and zip detailed jeans provide cohesion and complete the collection. Braganza says of the collaboration ‘ River Island has a distinctively young, cool voice and the RI girl is confident and a risk taker, as is the Jean-Pierre Braganza woman. Working with the River Island design and buying team has been such a great experience, they rose to every challenge that I presented with them’. UK based Braganza studied Fashion Design at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martin’s college. His design philosophy is based around an obsession with the human form and in 2004 he debuted his eponymous label at LFW. After winning the Australian Wool innovation Award, Braganza was selected by Karl Lagerfeld to be his protégé for the AW08/09 season. He has grown from strength to strength and counts Eva Longoria, Nicole Scherzinger and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini as fans of the JPB label. With prices ranging from €40-€130 the Jean-Pierre Braganza X River Island Design Forum launches in store and online week commencing 16th February. The collection will launch via a short fashion film at London Fashion Week at the British Fashion Council’s FASHION FILM event.