LFW September 17 Highlights From Day 1

In the case of the big guns – the likes of Emporio Armani will present here to coincide with the re-launch of the brands’ London flagship store, and New York fixture Tommy Hilfiger is also on the schedule launching his See-Now Buy-Now TOMMYNOW collection.

Those at the start of their design careers are also in plentiful supply. On Day 1 the Bachelor and Masters graduates from The Swedish School of Textiles and the DDFC X FAD Dubai Fashion showcased at Fashion Scout. While Kocca Fashion Korea presented six promising labels from the country at a drinks presentation at the main BFC venue. LFW is a truly international affair.

Here’s how Day 1 unfolded for the FashionCapital team…

It was great to see Joanne Hynes back on the circuit, she presented a lavish collection rich in embellishment, texture and floral prints inspired by Victorian still life paintings. Her love of costume jewellery shone through and as did her fondness for handcrafted surface detail and nostalgia all combined with a unique Hynes twist.

Joanne Hynes images JoJo Iles

Teatum Jones began with a refreshing bang. Architectural tailoring, sporadic black/white print and off-kilter silhouettes made for a stunning showcase. The collection itself was enhanced hugely by voiceover/music/videography centring around the Paralympic athlete Natasha Baker (aka ‘horse whisperer’) providing a multi-sensory element that was truly moving.

Images courtesy of Teatum Jones

On the topic of global influence Nelly Rose presented a handcrafted story with paneling, beading, patchwork and embroidery in collaboration with artisans from around the world. This time it was London meets Guatemala with Nelly Rose’s bold, illustrative prints and patterns brought to life via 3 Guatemalan artisan cooperatives providing surface detail galore.

Nelly Rose ‘Globelle Series’ images by JoJo Iles

Pam Hogg provided quite a contrast. Lurid blues, yellows and pinks (similar to Jones’ scheme but with the saturation increased x 50) striped over the model’s bodies made for a fetish-full pseudo-sporty/motorcycle-sequel collection.

Pam Hogg images by Chris Daw

The Irene SJ Ju presentation was undoubtedly the highlight of the day – reiterating the well-known fashion fact that the 90’s have never looked so cool. Giant plastic hoop earrings, oversized shirts pulled in with built-in-corsets and electric pink bandeaus layered over oversized tailoring were just a few of the highlights of SJ Ju’s clever rework of classics and current trends made interesting by her own streetwear-meets-high-fashion aesthetic. 

Irene SJ Yu images by JoJo Iles

Fashion Week wouldn’t be complete without a protest of some sort and this season was no different with Animal Rights protesters stating that LFW should ban fur products from being shown at the event. This combined with an extremely heavy police presence, due to a tube attack earlier in the morning, made for a startling contrast to the events unfolding inside the venue.

The ocean and nautical life provided the immediate feel at the Eudon Choi show. Plenty of stripes, checks and quirky button details combined with clean lines and geometric folds. The show notes cited that inspiration came from the designer Eileen Gray’s house, a modernist space on the coast of southeastern France and this influence was clear to see. The bag collection, in collaboration with lifestyle brand Decke, also made for some desirable and highly wearable pieces.

Eudon Choi

Showcasing as a standalone event during day 1 of LFW was the London Pacific Fashion Collective. The catwalk show presented 5 designers; Pania Greenaway – NZ, Robert Kennedy – FJ, Warlukurlangu Artists – Auz, Sarah Haoda-Todd – PNG and Rosie Semisi Emberson – FJ, inspired and working with techniques traditional to South Pacific region alongside the Fijian artist Rusiate Lali and his exhibition exploring the theme of ‘Climate Change’.

Rusiate Lali art

       

Pacific Fashion Collective

Silk fringing and beading were plentiful at Mark Fast – unsurprisingly two of his signatures. A subdued colour palette of nude, white, black and pink grounded the collection of intricate knitted dresses. When it comes to Mark Fast, it’s only ever bodycon.

Mark Fast

One thing to take away from Day 1: catwalk diversity is slowly getting better. Mark Fast (who has long been an advocate of ‘plus-size’ – an awful but widely used term) chose an absolutely fabulous drag queen to finish his show – and wore the dress far better than any of the other models, in my opinion. Teatum Jones used models that didn’t have specific limbs and one of the BA Designers in The Swedish School of Textiles Showcase used wheelchairs (image below) instead of heels to make her point. 

Word by India Hunnikin and JoJo Iles

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Street style by JoJo Iles