There is nothing in the wide world of fashion like the stomp and the swirl of the Chopova Lowena sisterhood in action. Back in London, in the crumbling underground basement of old Shoreditch Town Hall, the packed scene was one of the collective conventions of fans and friends that only these two can raise.

The women of the Victorian Wild West were the inspiration behind this gathering in the wild east of London. Emma Chopova spent a slice of her formative years in the States. “We’re looking at America because of, I guess, my American upbringing, but it’s a weird take, where it’s about female folk heroines of the American West, like Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane. And the woman who brought cancan to America.” This was in a preshow Zoom conversation. Laura Lowena—who very recently gave birth to twins—added, “We also looked at, like, rhythmic gymnastics. A lot of different Olympics, where they did all different kinds of gymnastics. The Bulgarian Olympic team and the British Olympic team, through the ages, a lot the ’80s and ’90s were most inspiring—all the prints and all the sequins. There was a lot of information to look at.”

Originally—back in the day when Chopova and Lowena collaborated on their Central Saint Martins MA graduate collection—it was the unlikely combustion of Lowena’s enthusiasm for outdoor sports and Chopova’s love of Bulgarian folk costume that fused into the long-lasting genius of their knife-pleated, rock-climbing, carabiner-suspended skirts. That incredibly distinctive garment is as popular a brand signifier to an indie generation of all genders, sexualities, shapes, and sizes as a Chanel jacket is to mainstream fashion. Its endless iterations in different collaged colors, tartans, and patterns are worn as a sign of belonging that’s largely responsible for spreading happiness among Chopova Lowena’s audience as they crowd into their seats.

But, of course, their original recipe—something folksy with something sporty—has gone far beyond that now. It’s fully head to toe, layered up in tiers and smock-y Victoriana blouses over petticoat skirts over pants over jumbles of elaborate socks and studded boots. Then there’s their talent for unmissable jewelry and hardware—and often an anarchic combination of both. This time that included cutlery in the hair, horse braces, and necklaces festooned with toy horses.

And even more double-take-y than that: the Chopova Lowena collaboration with Asics trainers, surreally tricked out with metal butterflies so huge that they almost looked like mythical beasts. “They’re actually garden-center ornaments,” Chopova noted.

Among the fast paced, pell-mell energy of this show, there was a lot more going on, including a “mommy” bag with a spoon, Band-Aids, a rattle, a toy car, and an emergency jar of Hellman’s mayonnaise strapped to the outside. Yet more was—literally—in the air: the scent of roses, or was that geraniums? Both, actually. Chopova’s father, she related, has “found this really cool factory in the Bulgarian Rose Valley. We’ve made perfumes with Bulgarian flowers and herbs in them, all based in rose oil.”

The designers revealed that they’d pitched this idea for developing fragrances and candles to the BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund as their business-extension plan should they win. And, of course, they did.