Founder and creative director Salma Rachid and the creative team engaged in a compelling dialogue with Miko Veldkamp, a Dutch-Indonesian artist born and raised in Suriname. His work, shaped by a multicultural upbringing and a life across continents, becomes a powerful reflection of the shifting, layered nature of identity.

Veldkamp's journey spans three homes: Suriname, the Netherlands, and New York. Each place influences the way he sees and expresses selfhood. His paintings explore the cultural and emotional landscapes between these places, embracing "multiplicity" as a central theme. From reflections and palm trees without roots to layered glazes and rhythmic patterns, his work is an emotional map of transformation.

Inspired by the emotional depth and layered narratives in Veldkamp’s work, the collection reflects cultural tension, memory, and belonging, mirroring Retori’s commitment to honoring the complexity of identity and the richness of human experience.

Veldkamp’s multifaceted visual worlds shape the collection's dialogue between structure and fluidity, realized through refined silhouettes and purposeful tailoring, designed to empower wearers to embrace the shifting beauty of their own identities.

Expanding Retori’s vocabulary of timeless and sophisticated fashion imbued with nonchalance, cocooning overcoats, reversible hooded outerwear, and cabans are crafted from warm yet lightweight wool Double, highlighting the brand’s commitment to sartorial excellence.

The iconic vest dresses for layering are rendered in wool flannel or leather, while delicate frocks and asymmetrical skirts enhance movement, conveying the poetic rhythm of personal evolution.

Jewelled fasteners shaped like mangosteens become intimate symbols of Veldkamp's Southeast Asian roots, offering a tactile expression of cultural legacy.

Miko Veldkamp creates layered,
atmospheric paintings that reflect the shifting tapestry of identity across cultures and geographies. Born in Suriname to Dutch and Indonesian parents and now based in New York, the artist depicts fluid “pseudo-self-portraits” where memories, reflections, and dreamlike symbols blur, echoing his experience of multiplicity and reconciliation with his sense of self. In its creative dialogue with Veldkamp for the Chapter 02 collection, Retori has harnessed the artist’s multifaceted worlds to reflect the complexity and beauty of the human experience.