Fashion analyst Mandy Lee has been looking for a pleated skirt by Chopova Lowena, the London-based company established in 2018 by Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena, ever since 2019. Three years later, Lee, a TikTok fashion influencer with over 300,000 followers, has acquired a number of pieces from the brand, including the distinctive skirt with clashing designs and safety pins fastening the cloth to a thick leather belt. She has also gushed about the items on TikTok.
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As one of the many creators who posted videos discussing the brand’s punk schoolgirl aesthetic and backstory, as well as showcasing their hauls and sharing advice on how to find the best deals for their pieces, particularly their A-line skirts, Lee contributed to the hashtag #chopovalowena receiving over 11 million views on the app. Eve-Lily and Summer Rachel Warren, among other users, have made films outlining how to work the avant-garde garment into their regular wardrobes.
When asked why the popularity of the skirt, Laura Lowena responds to Refinery29, “I guess people haven’t seen the garments moving so much.” “I think that maybe people have really gotten into it by watching the movement and seeing individuals in it [on the app],” the author speculated.
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The Chopova Lowena skirts are made from secondhand fabric purchased from markets in Bulgaria, the country where the parents of American-born Chopova’s are from. They were also inspired by ’80s rock. The trendy look has been seen on celebrities over the past year, including Dua Lipa, Olivia Rodrigo, and Emma Corrin, giving the once-unknown designers A-list endorsement. The skirts, which come in both short and long variants, have become into a “if you know, you know” must-have for fashion lovers on TikTok and in real life despite the fact that they are difficult to locate, pricey (some can retail for between $1,000 and $1,500), and nearly always sold out.
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On TikTok, writer and designer Kristen Bateman gushed over the brand’s skirts, saying, “They’re so distinctive and they kind of look like costumes in a way.” Bateman has long been a collector of Chopova Lowena pieces. I had never witnessed something such. She is not the only one who feels this way; anytime Bateman wears them outside of New York City or in a fashion context, she claims that “it’s a pretty interesting experience,” referring to the glances she receives. Nevertheless, according to Bateman, the reason the skirts are so well-liked on TikTok is because of their unusual construction, which arouses curiosity as well as bewilderment.
Despite this, it’s still astonishing that a skirt this pricey has gained popularity on a website that is better recognised for fast-fashion finds and inexpensive vintage finds than designer clothing.
This comes down to visual appeal for both Lee and Bateman: The Chopova Lowena skirts have established a place in the market for fashion enthusiasts who want to capitalise on these trends with an edge made for the “Weird Girl” aesthetic era, in a time when early 2000s aesthetics have given rise to skin-baring trends like thong pants and micro mini skirts, as well as collegiate trends like pleated skirts and Mary Janes.
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As an added bonus, the brand’s homage to ’80s and ’90s rock, as seen in the use of leather belts, safety pins, studs, and DIY aesthetics, is in line with the recent revival of pop-punk fashion, making celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa, both TikTok darlings, A-list admirers of the design duo.
Lee claims to have had success finding the skirts on Vestiaire Collective, an online marketplace for used goods, where she has purchased items for what she estimates to be four times less than the retail cost. Although it was before the brand had a surge in popularity, Bateman also purchased hers used and paid significantly less.
Bateman claims that the skirts are worth the price even though they are expensive and more of statement items than clothing you could wear frequently. When compared to actually holding the garment, appreciating its quality, and wearing it, she argues that viewing fashion on TikTok is completely different. It’s unquestionably a conversational skirt.
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