Not only was Runa Ray’s Spring/Summer 2018 line inspired by nature like the forests and flowers of Southeast Asia, but her pieces were directly benefitting the environment by strictly using natural, harmless dyes for the fabrics.

The minimalist collection kept to the theme of miniscule detailing to complement the line as a whole. Her designs featured hand-embroidered flowers and dark trimmed collars. While in past lines her pieces were described as elegant and mature, her newest collection catered toward a younger audience with the use of more youthful textiles such as mesh and hints of jewels dispersed throughout the outfits.

For the first time, Ray included male models in her show who sported masculine pieces. In contrast to the pieces the female models wore, darker earth tones of green and brown were used. The flowy cuts gave the essence of a high-end version of the traditional wear of many farmers in various countries of Southeast Asia — the wide neck shirt and loose fitting pants make for a universal statement from New York to rural India.

The relaxed fit of Ray’s pieces are sure to be seen come spring and summer of the coming year. This contrasts to last season as her line, while still environmentally conscious, was focused on pleating and creases of a single sheet of fabric to show the fashion world that garments can be made without creating excessive waste of material. The cut of her designs elicits a modern aesthetic as the fabric cascaded gently across the models, while the light neutrals and earth tones set a more mature baseline. A hint of shimmer was apparent in many pieces to subtly amp up the outfit, while keeping to her theme of natural beauty.

Email Peyton Emery at [email protected].