Toga Virilis

Yasuko Furata studied fashion at the ESMOD Japan and Paris schools, before founding her label in Tokyo in 1997. She named her brand TOGA, after the ancient Roman garment made of a single piece of fabric worn over a tunic. The choice of name for her label says a lot about her love of fashion history, and the technicality of the clothes she designs. A few years later, she began to present her collections in Paris, a city she’d fallen in love with during her student years. Bold, meticulous and powerful, her silhouettes quickly garnered her a passionate clientèle. Inspired by her primary label TOGA, the designer then came up with the TOGA PULLA and TOGA VIRILIS brands, new additions to her fashion universe, and dedicated respectively to women's and men's shoes. This very specific aesthetic conceived by Yasuko Furata was thus applied to footwear, with elegant, edgy designs and a deliciously rock 'n' roll feel. TOGA VIRILIS's avant-garde style is expressed in part through features and references to symbols of the Wild West, also found in its twin label PULLA. TOGA footwear is marked by a sense of androgyny, an important sartorial statement at a time of gender fluidity, with its style codes applied to both wardrobes. With super-detailed and extra-chunky metallic belt buckles, suede leathers, rivets, bolo ties and massive silver ornaments, TOGA VIRILIS designs are highly decorated with abundant details that bring them even more character and charm. Whether the leather ankle boots, the mules borrowed from womenswear, or the new take on the loafer, it's time to treat yourself, and find the key to a bold and uninhibited style.