In many ways, 2021 was Nensi Dojaka’s year: There were multiple industry accolades, viral celebrity moments — remember Camille Charriere’s naked dress at the Fashion Awards? — and a boom in post-lockdown sales of her sexy little dresses.For her second catwalk outing, Dojaka proved she can keep the momentum going and be much more than a one-hit wonder.For starters, she kept reworking and refining her signature lingerie-inspired dresses: She rendered them in rich red velvets, added playful ruffled trims or maxi lengths, showing that they still have plenty of legs.There were subtle romantic touches, too, like floral-shaped wiring on the busts of dresses, referencing Irving Penn imagery — but the biggest source of inspiration for Dojaka is “always the women” and the female body. To that end, she expanded her repertoire in a bid to invite more women into her world, who might not go for her body-skimming evening dresses, but would feel comfortable in a stretchy, knitted version of the same dress; some sharp tailoring to layer over the brand’s risqué corsets; or more sporty puffers and poplin shirts.
“It’s an evolution of what I started last year, but it’s getting better and there are now more possibilities to create a strong brand image across lots of different categories,” said Dojaka.
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But perhaps the most important move in strengthening her brand image was the addition of models of different body shapes on her catwalk — including Paloma Elsesser and a pregnant Maggie Maurer, who looked terrific in a sheer sequined gown. It showed that this is a designer who’s capable of taking feedback and creating an inclusive, modern-day brand.