Kukeri by Charlotte Wales & Chopova Lowena

In ‘Kukeri’, men dress up as monsters for the Bulgarian winter folk festival of Surva by wearing hand made-masks, embroidered and beaded clothing and heavy belts of bells to ward away evil spirits and encourage bountiful harvest. Fashion designer duo Chopova Lowena referenced "Kukeri" along with 1980s wrestling culture, seeing connections between these two types of orchestrated ritual – both involve DIY costumes and over-the-top performance. Photographer, Charlotte Wales traveled with Chopova Lowena to Pernik, Bulgaria, to document the festival and interspersed it with studio shots of the new Chopova Lowena collection. Designed by Jamie Reid.