Nora Vervat

My collection explores the threshold between inside and outside, drawing on 19th-century iron gate ornament, domestic spaces, undergarments, and unused embroideries. Many of the ornamental details are taken directly from my own neighbourhood, grounding the work in personal and local history.

Protection begins as care, shaped by the domestic, quietly shifting into restriction that holds the body in place. By recreating protective structures such as the ornament found in wrought iron fences in soft faux fur and delicate fabrics, and by broadening the shoulders, I translate these boundaries into forms that both comfort and contain.

The designs reflect personal experience, expressing a tension between the desire to move freely and the presence of internal barriers. While rooted in this experience, the work extends beyond the individual, reflecting broader structures of care, control, and containment.

A muted palette of browns, whites, greys, and pinks with occasional pops of red and silver to highlight moments of emotion and energy. Through compression and the use of ostrich feathers, I introduce contrast between restraint and movement.

The collection proposes a contemporary women’s wardrobe in which protection and limitation coexist, transforming structures of restriction into forms of resilience.