Abiola Vest Natural

The phrase “English Rose” has often been used to describe beauty ideals in Britain. But how do you reconcile a belief in your own beauty when you don’t have one of the most prominent markers of what society determines embodies the English Rose: fair caucasian skin. The OIZA Spring Summer 2025 collection ‘A Rose By Any Other Name’ reflects the converse themes of identity and beauty standards OIZA’s Founder Olivia Ozi-Oiza Chance faced growing up mixed race in Britain, as she battled with her own self acceptance.

The significance of a rose embodying both beauty and nature inspired Chance to study the aesthetic of gardens and gardeners in British and African cultures. By drawing parallels across gardening practices, she was able to align the narrative of how the two cultures are communicated through the collection. At the same time, Chance channels the juxtaposition of the British and African landscapes through the use of fabrication and details: arid climate vs wet lush lawns and resilient vegetation vs fragile flowers.

The influence of gardenwear is felt throughout the collection. The silhouette of the aprons gardeners often wear is reimagined into a lace and satin dress featuring a crossover back and adjustable ties at the side. This season the use of tie fastenings as seen in aprons is a key detail that appears throughout the collection. Also introduced is the use of knitwear, inspired by images of elderly women tending to their gardens layered in sweaters and cardigans. OIZA’s main yarn choice is a mohair and alpaca blend which adds texture to the collection. Using needlework techniques such as crochet, an off-white hand stitch panelled lace dress can be seen to have crochet panels that grow onto lace by linking the two fabrications together. Other knitted pieces that feature in the collection include a genderless oversized brushed mohair panelled jumper with cut outs and a mink coloured brushed mohair tank top.

Chance mimics garden surroundings through large scale floral motifs present in the lace fabrication as well as cotton jacquards used to make mens trousers and shorts. One dress in particular conveys the wild natural feeling of a garden through floral motifs asymmetrically cut at the front and back creating an organic neckline that grows up the body. The use of natural materials such as cotton, linen, wool and suede is purposefully chosen to bring a softness to the collection and align with the theme of nature.

Also introduced this season are new separates to OIZA’s signature shapes, including an evolution from the brand’s drop waist dresses to a drop waist skirt with ties and a large cut out around the low hip, bringing a playfulness the brand embodies. The previously little explored use of upcycled materials is also present. Vintage floral brocade becomes a pair of mens high waisted straight cut trousers whilst a vintage handmade crochet tablecloth is transformed into an asymmetric halterneck dress which hitches at various points on the body, a nod to the rapping and tucking seen on wrap skirts worn by Nigerian women when gardening.

‘Portrait of a Black Gardener’, painted by British artist Harold Gilman in 1905, is a significant inspiration for the collection. One of the first full-length portraits celebrating a man of African descent in his unadorned form, the painting is a rarity for its time. The softness and sandy tones of the painting act as the anchor for the collection’s colour palette, whilst moments of deep pink are a subtle nod back to the metaphor of a rose.