Lace has long been associated with occasion dressing—bridal gowns, heirloom pieces and garments reserved for moments that call for something more ceremonial. But in recent seasons, designers have been reconsidering the fabric’s role, moving it beyond tradition and into everyday wardrobes. It is within this shift that Love, Bonito and Indonesian label Toton’s latest collaboration finds its place. The collaboration reimagines the material through a contemporary Southeast Asian lens, exploring how it is often linked to femininity and formality can be adapted for modern dressing. Drawing from the silhouettes of traditional Indonesian dressing, particularly the kebaya, the pieces balance heritage references with the ease and versatility expected of a contemporary wardrobe.
At first glance, the pairing feels unexpected. Love, Bonito has built its reputation on refined everyday essentials designed around the realities of women’s lives, while Toton is known for collections that reinterpret Indonesian heritage through intricate craftsmanship. Yet beneath those different design languages lies a shared philosophy. Both brands design with women at the centre, believing that beauty should never come at the expense of wearability.
“What drew us together was our shared purpose and our Asian sensibilities when it comes to design,” shares Rachel Lim, while Toton adds that both ultimately want to “give women options and make their lives better.” That dialogue between the familiar and the new shapes the collection. The Ruched Ready lace blazer serves as a key statement piece, translating the structure of the kebaya into a softer, more relaxed form of tailoring. Meanwhile, the Lace Cocoon Skirt further plays with contrast, pairing the delicacy of lace with a more sculptural silhouette.
Rather than positioning lace as something reserved for significant occasions, the collection considers how it can exist within everyday wardrobes. Tailored separates, fluid fabrics and considered proportions allow the material to take on a more contemporary role—one that reflects how women today dress across different facets of their lives. The partnership also reflects a wider movement within Southeast Asian fashion, where designers are increasingly exploring how traditional craft and regional identities can be translated for a global, modern audience. By combining Love, Bonito’s understanding of everyday dressing with Toton’s heritage-driven design language, the collaboration presents a new interpretation of cultural codes—not as something to preserve unchanged, but as something that can continue to evolve.
Launching with a runway presentation in Jakarta, the Love, Bonito x Toton collection will be first available via exclusive early access on the Love, Bonito app on 24 July, before arriving in stores across Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines from 27 July, with prices ranging from $29 to $209. Ahead of the launch, the founders of both labels spoke to Vogue Singapore about their combined process behind bringing heritage, craft and contemporary womenswear together.
What made Love, Bonito and Toton the right creative fit?
Rachel: I think what drew us together was our shared purpose and our Asian sensibilities when it comes to design. That’s what led us to create this beautiful collection together. What initially drew us to Toton was the thought and heart behind his collections and designs. There’s such a deep respect for craftsmanship, heritage and intricate detailing. We also felt it would be wonderful to bring both worlds together, where Love, Bonito contributes its sense of sensibility while remaining approachable. Marrying those qualities together formed the aspiration for a great partnership.
Toton: I think the deep-rooted value we share is that we want to give women alternatives. We want to give women options, and we want to make their lives better—through practicality, everyday functionality, and the choice to have something beautiful in their everyday lives.
How did this conversation between the two of you begin?
Rachel: We were first brought together by our shared love for women. We didn’t begin by talking about clothes. We began by talking about the lives women live. The collection came after that. We talked about how women still want to look good and feel good, and from there we realised we could bring together the essence of Toton and the essence of Love, Bonito in a collection that brings out the very best of both brands. That’s really how it all began. From the beginning, we knew we wanted to create a collection that feels beautiful enough to make a woman feel special, yet effortless enough for her to wear every day. That’s what we wanted to achieve—the wearability of both worlds.
You both have very distinct identities. So, what was the creative process in balancing both identities?
Toton: It was a lot of fun for me because I discovered things I hadn’t tapped into before. I usually think about the artistic aspect first, and then how my customers would wear those pieces in their everyday lives. Working with Love, Bonito helped me find that solution—the practicality, the ease, and how the clothes fit the body. They have the perfect fit. Many of our styles were developed from pieces in our previous collections, but refined with Love, Bonito’s cuts.
Rachel: From Love, Bonito’s perspective, that meant balancing details like our Ruched Ready sleeves and our leg-lengthening Leggy Pants silhouette. Toton brought such a deep cultural perspective and artistry to the collection—it truly blew our minds. Every detail is so thoughtfully considered by his team. That’s something we’re incredibly excited about. At Love, Bonito, we’re obsessed with fit, wearability and practicality, and with how clothing fits into women’s everyday lives. Toton brings artistry and imagination, and bringing those two worlds together was such a rewarding process for both teams.
“We were first brought together by our shared love for women. We genuinely care about the audience we create for, and our conversations began with the lives women lead.”
Is there a very specific look that you think encapsulated the collection perfectly?
Toton: I’m partial to tailoring, so I love the kebaya-inspired jacket. With Love, Bonito, we made certain tweaks to the design, and I think it turned out perfectly. I’ve seen it in every size, and it’s going to be in the fashion show. So I think that’s one of my favourites.
R: For us, the lace pieces are the most charming. We often associate lace with occasions or special events, but if I had to pick one, it would be the lace pants. We’ve married Toton’s beautiful lace with Love, Bonito’s signature pants silhouette, and that’s the perfect expression of aspiration and approachability.
How does each brand bring something to the collaboration that the other could not have achieved on its own?
Rachel: I think Toton and his team bring a remarkable ability to reinterpret Indonesia’s rich culture and heritage in a way that’s so beautiful. They translate hundreds, even thousands, of years of history into tangible design, and that’s something Love, Bonito alone could never have achieved.
Toton: What I love about Love, Bonito is its sense of purpose. They always put women first. Working with an all-women team has been wonderful. I think this is the easiest collaboration I’ve ever had. Everyone is so eager to make this collection better, and I really appreciate that.
Toton, you’re intricately involved in research in terms of what you do—the background, storytelling, narrative, and the artistry. In this collaboration with Love, Bonito, how closely did you stick to these references?
Toton: We’re focusing more on women nowadays, so I felt that pushing a backstory or a heritage-driven narrative would be too heavy for this collection. I don’t want to pretend it’s something it’s not. We wanted to create pieces that women can simply wear in their everyday lives—pieces that are already part of their wardrobe and make each day feel a little more special.
Rachel, what do you think having Toton come in brought to you, and changed your mind on, or gave you a new perspective on?
Rachel: I think it expanded our world in a very different way. We’ve always focused on the everyday woman and how clothing fits into real life. Through this collaboration, Toton showed us that both can exist—pieces with incredible artistry, craftsmanship and intricate detailing that are still effortless enough for everyday wear. It made us realise that everyday dressing can be much more interesting and detailed than we had imagined. That really broadened our perspective.
You mentioned your previous runway show was almost a decade ago. Why do you think this was the right time to have a show again and to collaborate?
Rachel: We first started talking about this collaboration more than a year ago, so it’s been over a year in the making. I don’t think there’s ever a perfect time, but the stars aligned and we both felt it was the right moment to do this. Today, the world is shining a spotlight on Asian talent, whether in Hollywood or in fashion craftsmanship across this region. We felt it was the perfect opportunity to showcase what Southeast Asia can do, and we were incredibly excited to bring that sense of pride into this collaboration.
What do you hope your customers learn from this collaboration since it brings a completely new flavour?
Toton: Most of my customers shop for occasions, so I hope these collaboration pieces with Love, Bonito give them more reasons to dress up every day.
Rachel: What our customers have in common is that they want to look good and feel good. Some pieces are designed for special occasions, while others are made for everyday wear. This collection brings those two worlds together—it doesn’t have to be one or the other. That’s what excites us most. Even this outfit, paired with the statement earrings, is so wearable. You don’t have to wait for a special occasion to wear it. It doesn’t have to be so black and white, and that’s exactly what we hope our customers take away from this collaboration.
You both have a very different relationship with Southeast Asian design but a very strong one at that. So, what has this made you rethink about what Southeast Asian design can do?
Rachel: I think there’s so much more depth than I ever realised. Even within Southeast Asia, there are so many different stories and cultures. It’s such a small region, yet it’s also so vast. It’s incredibly rich, and within Southeast Asia alone, you can easily find more than a handful of distinct cultures and stories to tell. It made me wonder—why have we always been looking elsewhere when, as Toton says, it’s all here in our own backyard?
Toton: I think it’s time for us to reclaim that. We’ve been looking to the West for too long. It’s not just the creators—the designers and artists—who are reclaiming our heritage, but also the customers and the people who appreciate it. I think there’s a shift in how people value talent from Southeast Asia, and it’s time for us to claim it as our own.
A lot of Southeast Asian designers have been pigeonholed into having to contextualise their culture. Do you both feel the pressure in terms of bringing this to a global stage?
Rachel: That’s not our end goal. At the end of the day, success means that we, together with our teams, are proud of what we’ve created. We’re also incredibly excited to see the response from our customers. From everything we’ve previewed and teased so far, the excitement has been overwhelming. There’s so much buzz, and everyone wants to experience the collection, try it on, and style it in their own way. That’s another measure of success for us. We also hope it encourages customers to push their own boundaries and explore different ways of dressing.
Toton: I’ve never wanted to position us as a cultural brand that’s solely about heritage. We’re a contemporary brand that happens to be inspired by Indonesian culture, and we incorporate Indonesian craftsmanship in our own way. But we never lead with that. For me, people have to fall in love with the pieces first. Then they’ll become curious, want to wear them, and ask, “What’s the inspiration behind this?” That’s when I tell the story. But the product always comes first.
What do you think is still missing from the conversation on Southeast Asian design, or what do you think people are overlooking?
Rachel: The conversation is definitely growing, and more attention is being given to designers across the region. Even in Indonesia and Vietnam, there are so many exciting emerging designers. What’s still missing, though, is the confidence to own it—to take up space in the world. For too long, the narrative has been that the best comes from the West, but we’ve seen for ourselves that it simply isn’t true. So much of the expertise—whether it’s manufacturing, fabric craftsmanship or artistry—comes from this part of the world. We have extraordinary talent here, and we hope to help shift that narrative and shine a bigger spotlight on it.
Toton: As a designer, I’ve always felt that we come from what people call the “third world,” if that’s the right term. It often feels like we’re never the first to be considered. Before COVID, I spent years going to Paris for trade shows and showrooms, and it took me so many years just to meet a major buyer. Meanwhile, people from the traditional fashion capitals could do so much more easily through agents. From firsthand experience, I can say that we need to own who we are—but we also need better PR. I love that Singapore is helping to do that.
“We have extraordinary talent here, and we hope to help shift that narrative and shine a bigger spotlight on it.”
What does this moment represent to both of you—the runway show and the collection coming out?
Toton: It’s a milestone for me. We’ve never done a collaboration on this scale, both in terms of size and reach. I can’t thank Rachel and Love, Bonito enough for having us. Hopefully, this won’t be the only one. I hope this is just the beginning.
Rachel: This is an equally significant milestone for all of us at Love, Bonito. To hear a renowned designer like Toton say that Love, Bonito’s fit is exceptional means so much to us because of the heart and effort we put into every single piece. We pay incredible attention to fit—Toton knows that. We don’t compromise. We spend sleepless nights thinking about how we can help a woman look even better, and how we can make her feel considered and confident when she puts on a Love, Bonito piece. To bring that to the table and partner with a designer like Toton is something we’re incredibly grateful for, and proud that we’ve never compromised on in the two decades we’ve been around. That’s a huge milestone for us.
What can your customers and readers look forward to next?
Toton: They can look forward to beautiful pieces that represent both of our worlds. They’re incredibly versatile, and I love versatility. I love that they can be dressed up or dressed down, worn every day or for special occasions. That makes them great value.
Rachel: I love that—it’s practical, and it’s good value. Internally, we’re secretly dreaming about a part two. With this first collaboration, we’ve been exploring the possibilities and learning what resonates with our customers. If there’s a second chapter, we’ll know just how far we can push the boundaries. We’ll have even more confidence to explore beyond one type of lace, perhaps into even more intricate 3D laces, which is one of Toton’s specialties. That’s something we’re really looking forward to. Fingers crossed.
Discover the collection here from Love, Bonito x Toton.
