Australian grown, New York honed, meet the duo behind contemporary American label Tome

Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Thank you for signing up to Wallpaper. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
Ryan Lobo and Ramon Martin met as fellow fashion undergraduates at Sydney's University of Technology in 1998, but it wasn't until 2011, following lots of late night conversations centered around how runway shows should look that they launched their line, Tome.
'It was an unspoken agreement… we just knew that one day when we did it, it would be together,' says Lobo, who worked across the industry as a buyer, stylist, journalist and brand consultant after graduating, while Martin honed his design talents in the ateliers of Alberta Ferretti, Derek Lam and Jean Paul Gaultier. Plaudits were immediate for their 'clean cut essential dressing': only two years later, they were nominated as finalists for the 2013 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund.
White shirts, culottes and lace slip dresses have since become Tome signatures, all of which appeared in the Resort 2016 collection alongside crisp cotton shirt dresses, pleated skirts and summer-weight trench coats. Sharp-tongued American writer Dorothy Parker provided inspiration for the clothes, which took shape via neat Twenties duster coats and boyish V-neck knits in soft pink, tan and retro stripes.
'Primarily it was the wit and whimsy in her work that began the discussion. We pictured her, in layers of soft silk pyjama stripes and masculine cotton camel coats, typing away, mint julep and cigarettes nearby, banging out hilariously acerbic indictments on contemporary norms,' says Lobo. Talking more generally about their woman - fans include Dakota Johnson, Indré Rockefeller and Karlie Kloss - its almost as if Martin is referring directly to Parker when he observes, 'Women don't want or need to be dictated to.'
Martin then fills in the details for ideas that Lobo unearths. 'Ryan and I have always talked design, art, theatre, film, music… the stuff that inspires us. Our two different approaches to the same subject is where the conversation starts.'
Last year, the pair launched The White Shirt Project in association with Freedom For All, the foundation raising awareness to combat modern day human slavery. 'This is an ongoing mission that is an essential part of the Tome brand,' says Ramon, revealing that the next installment is due in December 2015. 'Watch this space.'
Lobo (right) and Martin met as fellow fashion undergraduates at Sydney's University of Technology in 1998, but it wasn't until 2011, following lots of late night conversations centered around how runway shows should look that they launched their line, Tome
'It was an unspoken agreement… we just knew that one day when we did it, it would be together,' says Lobo, who worked across the industry as a buyer, stylist, journalist and brand consultant after graduating, while Martin honed his design talents in the ateliers of Alberta Ferretti, Derek Lam and Jean Paul Gaultier
Plaudits were immediate for their 'clean cut essential dressing': only two years later, they were nominated as finalists for the 2013 CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox
Tilly is a British writer, editor and digital consultant based in New York, covering luxury fashion, jewellery, design, culture, art, travel, wellness and more. An alumna of Central Saint Martins, she is Contributing Editor for Wallpaper* and has interviewed a cross section of design legends including Sir David Adjaye, Samuel Ross, Pamela Shamshiri and Piet Oudolf for the magazine.
-
Ronan Bouroullec book merges art, design and everyday life
‘Ronan Bouroullec: Day After Day’, from Phaidon, is a visual inventory of the French designer’s work, artistic output and daily inspiration
By Rosa Bertoli Published
-
Inside the gleaming new Comme des Garçons store in Paris
Comme des Garçons reveals a four-storey new retail space in Paris, housing lines previously only available in Japan, as well as exclusive reissues of Rei Kawakubo’s collectible furniture
By Jack Moss Published
-
Eva Jospin and Ruinart put the fizz in Frieze London 2023
Champagne house Ruinart brings artist Eva Jospin’s vision of its terroir to Frieze London 2023, and celebrates with a limited edition Jeroboam of Ruinart Blanc de Blancs
By Simon Mills Published
-
New York Fashion Week S/S 2024: Tory Burch to Willy Chavarria
New York Fashion Week S/S 2024 set off womenswear fashion month with a packed schedule spanning big-name debuts, runway returns and plenty of hometown favourites
By Tilly Macalister-Smith Last updated
-
American designer Willy Chavarria on his lifelong love of Dickies
Featured in the Wallpaper* USA 300, Willy Chavarria is part of America’s new wave of fashion designers. On the launch of his collaboration with Dickies, he talks utilitarian design, authenticity, and buying his first pair of Dickies at Kmart
By Jack Moss Published
-
Malin + Goetz cannabis candle celebrates the beauty brand’s roots, as latest store opens in Moynihan Train Hall, NYC
Malin + Goetz, the independent beauty brand and Wallpaper* USA 300 alumnus, is embracing new store openings and a cannabis candle collaboration with Brain Dead
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
How Tom Ford changed the beauty industry
As Tom Ford steps down from his eponymous beauty brand, we pay tribute to his contribution to the industry
By Mary Cleary Published
-
The designer behind Bode curates an exhibition on Shaker knitwear’s influence on American style
Emily Adams Bode Aujla of New York brand Bode curates ‘The Commercialisation of Shaker Knits’, an exhibition for the Shaker Museum which reflects the designer’s provenance-soaked approach
By Pei-Ru Keh Published
-
New York’s iconic Russian & Turkish Baths is where the city goes to ‘schvitz’
From gangsters to hipsters, artists to politicians, New York’s Russian & Turkish Baths continues to attract a colourful crowd with its basement banya
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Thom Browne’s whale-shaped bag is inspired by Moby Dick
Thom Browne’s playful new handbag arrives as part of a collection that looks towards Herman Melville’s timeless tale of adventure and revenge for inspiration
By Jack Moss Published
-
At home with Proenza Schouler founders Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez
Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, part of the Wallpaper* USA 300, talk creative process, current inspirations, and escaping to The Berkshires
By Tilly Macalister-Smith Published