London Fashion Week Summary

 

I have finally done it.  I am no longer a London Fashion Week virgin.  It was an utterly fantastic experience, and it was most definitely better than a bar of chocolate.

 

The high profile shows, including Julien MacDonald, Ghost and Betty Jackson, were held at The British Fashion Council tent at The Natural History Museum.  There is an overwhelming air of anticipation that takes hold the moment you enter the tent.  Picture the scene; the photographers clamber over one another.  Like wolves they lay in waiting, ready to pounce upon their prey.  The press dive on their goody bags. Another free perfume I hear them sigh, what a tough job this is!  As I take my seat, back, back, back, back in the very back row, I gaze admiringly at my icon, the great Hilary Alexander, dreaming of the day I too will be coveted for the front row.  The lights dim.  My heart begins to pound in excitement.  The music erupts into life, and the show begins.

 

Moving on from this excitement at The Natural History Museum, I found the smaller off-schedule shows scattered around venues in London, to be distinctly more inspiring.  They play host to designers who are just carving their way in the fashion industry, who possess an incomparable passion and hunger for the industry.  They exude fresh, vivacious ideas.  Innovation seeps from their creative hands.  This is the new generation of designers that we ought to ardently support and look to, to reinvigorate an ailing British fashion industry.    

 

 

The off-schedule shows are largely overlooked by press and buyers, and are branded inferior to the larger fashion shows, but it is here we should be looking for the future of fashion.  We need to put a stop to the continued rehashing of past fashions and support young creative design talent who have the burning ambition and talent to push boundaries in fashion, to create and invent.

 

Viewing the exhibitor stands, my attention was drawn by three particular design collections.  I regard a strong collection, as one which grabs my attention and stands out for its innovation and originality.  Being a student still at University, I have grown grudgingly used to being questioned on meaning and symbolism.  A strong collection will incite my desire to look deeper into the underlying meanings which constitute the development of the constructed garment.

 

Margo presented a very delicate and feminine collection.  A soft palette of light purples and yellows, with mythical creatures with names like cinnamon horse, printed onto silk.  Slip dresses and flowing tops with silk braided ties falling down backs.

 

Manosh’s collection was developed from aspects of children’s clothing, to create a beautifully delicate and innocent collection.  Garments in soft pastel colours, candy striped cottons, prints inspired by fairytales and bedtime stories, knitwear, smocking, pantaloons and pompoms.

    

My favourite design collection was by Richard Nicoll, one of sixteen sponsored New Generation designers.  His concepts and innovative constructions far surpass anything I have seen on or off the catwalk.  His garments are distinctively sculptural, challenging traditional expectations of dress.  He has a raw and natural creative talent, which will award him an extremely bright future.  I have plans to write a more detailed article on his work in the coming month.

 

 

Vicky Hassett