Tom Van Der Borght
Creator of radical couture designs suitable for both men and women, Tom Van Der Borght is not your run of the mill artist. Admittedly, his collections are an acquired taste and you would need rock solid confidence in both your style and yourself as a person to ever consider wearing one of his pieces. However, courage and controversy are two traits that have the power to make a lasting impression. Having incorporated his own damaged DNA patterns from a progressive muscular disorder into one of his recent collections – ‘Church of Chica’ – Tom Van Der Borght is in abundance of both. The nonsensical structure of the clothing is impractical and often unflattering. This is what makes each piece so brilliant; rendering the wearer as a walking piece of art. Body hugging tailoring and muscle boosting t-shirts seem almost archaic in comparison. I would not expect to see the streets flooding with this 1960s hippy meets fashion student lost in a Filipino haberdashery style anytime in the next decade (at least). Although more subtle clashes with the boundaries of what makes a piece a ‘classic’ – I definitely would. Now operating under the roof of a London PR agency, we should expect to see much more of Tom Van Der Borght in the coming months. The brand showcases at LFW later this month.
Tom Van Der Borght ‘Church of Chica’ Collection 2013
