Nataal’s report and frow photos featuring the rising stars of London Fashion Week
Despite the sombre mood set by the official mourning period and funeral for Queen Elizabeth II, which resulted in having one-day paused and several presentations shuffled around or postponed, London Fashion Week still kept its head held high. Maintaining its reputation as a springboard for emerging talents and new ideas, a number of fresh names made their mark for SS23. So, here’s our 10 ones to watch.
Harri
Indian-born designer Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai aka Harri made his LFW debut under the BFC’s NEWGEN initiative for SS23. More of an art installation than a fashion show, models bounced, danced and spun around the space in Harri’s inflatable latex pieces. Bodies took on intriguingly extended shapes as trousers and body suits extended limbs in all manner of rounded directions. A hint of Ziggy Stardust met body builder ambitions in this stunningly original and smile-inducing collection.
Fashion East: Standing Ground
As always, Fashion East served up a triumvirate of greatness. A presentation by Standing Ground welcomed guests with a line-up of gracefully draped jersey dresses in earthy hues. Irish designer Michael Stewart focussed on highly crafted padding, beading and stitching to make each look not only sensuous but also create connections between the ancient and the modern. A confident LFW debut from this Royal College of Art graduate.
Fashion East: Karoline Vitto
On the Fashion East catwalk, we cheered for Karoline Vitto whose brand takes a refreshingly personal approach to body positivity. Each model’s curves were celebrated by this Brazilian designer’s viscose jersey slip dresses, string bikinis, crop tops and low-slung trousers and central to their empowering construction were chrome-plated metal inserts that lovingly hugged each fold of flesh.
Fashion East: Jawara Alleyne
Jawara Alleyne rounded off his time with Fashion East with a crowd-pleasing collection bringing together his experiences of living in Jamaica, the Caymen Islands and the UK to give new meaning to ‘The New World’. His signature fluid styles made from upcycled and repurposed denims, silks and chiffons were held together through ingenious use of knots, ties, pins and wrapping techniques, nodding to the beach, to carnival and to buccaneer swag in equal measure.
Yuhan Wang
Yuhan Wang knows a thing or two about making fly-away lace and floral dresses that unite Chinese and western ideas of femininity. This season she took to the skies, both with her a tribute to famous female aviators in history and to ethereal air-born nymphs known as apsaras. Pilot references such as helmet-like bonnets, utility vests and Amelia Earhart-style jodhpurs lent a tough girl edge to barely-there frocks and lingerie-like slips in devoré and silks. Proof indeed that softness and strength can co-exist.
Masha Popova
Another catwalk debut came from Masha Popova whose Y2K approach to sexy denim was infused with a ride or die attitude for SS23. This Ukraine-born designer revved up in V-front and hip-slashed skirts, handkerchief tops, applique jeans and knee-high boots all embossed or printed as if they had been run over by tyre tracks. Time to live life in the fast lane.
Sinéad O'Dwyer
This NEWGEN designer originally made her name by making silicone moulds of her models’ bodies as a sign of her commitment to radical body positivity and mental well-being. Since then, her techniques have evolved to include the use of knit and satin bands to create stretchy pieces worn with garters, leggings and harnesses. Here they were worn by a cast of models representing the most inclusive line-up seen all week. With clever tailoring and kinky accessories that nodded to fetish wear, goth garms and recital gowns, the end results shaped and caressed every type of human equally. Hear hear to all of that.
Stefan Cooke
Known for their subversions of menswear tropes and classic knitwear, Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt presented their first fully-formed womenswear offering this season, which deftly complimented the boys in its shared approach to taking both the preppy and the naff and turning them into something altogether more high-concept. From equestrian scarf-print jackets to ruffled mini skirts, from ribbed pink baggy denims to sequined t-shirts, and from big knotted bows on trousers to ‘Foam Party’ t-shirts, we are ready for the rave and the polo match in equal measure.
Susan Fang
You could hear the first of Susan Fang’s ultra-feminine dresses before you could see them thanks to their heavily beaded constructions, plus the Perspex sandals and ‘air flower’ jewellery that accessorised them. Then there was the fun fact that the models were walking on water – the catwalk was made out of pontoons floating on a swimming pool, which was also filled with ginormous “peace” balls. Most of the Chinese designer’s looks though were actually light as air. A profusion of ruffles, frills, tulle and ribbons were crafted into highly textured shorts, baby dolls and full-length gowns that sang of love and spring time romance.
Dilara Findikoglu
In this highly charged show, Turkish designer Dilara Findikoglu took a very personal journey through her own life, from feeling trapped by tradition and religion as a child, to her current acceptance of freedom from trauma. This was expressed through a Victoriana and lingerie-inspired collection where corsets, panier boning and layered tulle hemmed in the body while revealing its unabashed nakedness. One dress was made up of human hair, another of Union Jacks, a third of peacock feathers, each one taking a step closer to her rebirth.