LONDON — At first glance, London Fashion Week appears to be back on track. On Friday, a huge industrial-style show was packed, filled with headset-wearing PRs and security guards from floor to ceiling — social content played on glowing screens (the venue was sponsored by TikTok) and a throng of fashion celebrity.
They made such a move to celebrate Nisi Dojaka, the Albanian-born, London-based designer who became the latest recipient of the LVMH Prize earlier this month for creating delicate pieces with minimal materials. Little black dress.
It was her first solo runway show, and after a long and difficult 18 months , the largely local audience was mask-free, and the atmosphere was lively, reflecting a cautious optimism. After all, everyone is happy to see a new talent emerge, especially when the fashion industry is still feeling dull and depressed.
As with New York Fashion Week, there was no real international audience involved. This is naturally a result of travel restrictions, but may also be due to the absence of big names like Burberry, Christopher Kane and JW Anderson. That doesn't mean the participants don't want to make a big show -- just do it their own way.
At the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park, Roksanda Ilincic brought a dance performance of "Dancing She Shadow", according to the performance description, the dancers symbolized coral, chrysanthemum, peridot and merlot. The femininity of their clothes flutters and runs and spins, capturing the "dynamism and vitality in change".
24 hours later, at the same location, under a full moon, Harris Reed turned second-hand wedding dresses and daywear from the Oxfam charity shop into nine monochromatic semi-couture gowns and tuxedo made a stunning small-scale London debut.
Osman Yousefzada, known for his sculptural tailoring and, more recently, his social activism, also pondered the life cycle of clothing: He showed an alternative to silk made from sustainably sourced wood pulp. And at the London Aquatics Center on Sunday, the British diving Olympic team kicked off Regina Park's fashion show.
"I think what we're feeling right now is a desire to be free, and I think the most free place is in the water," said Regina Park, who is eight months pregnant with her second child. Models circling the pool wore her sheer blouses, swimwear-inspired pieces and sheer mesh skirts with photocopied graphics in fresh shades of green, ocher and pink.
Motherhood, new life and new beginnings became some kind of theme. Molly Goddard, who is on maternity leave after giving birth to her son, has come up with a more approachable take on her signature plus-size label style. She's added basics like wide-leg jeans and Aran-inspired knits in neon hues, offered more menswear, and launched scaled-down versions of her layered, oversized coveralls inspired by smaller sizes for kids. .
And Simone Rocha, who gave birth to her daughter in May, mused on the mother-daughter relationship in the shadowy cloisters of St. Bartholomew's Cathedral. This is a medieval church down a side street in one of London's oldest neighbourhoods. She recalled her signature designs, like layered white communion gowns, pearl embellishments, faux leather biker jackets and platform boots. There are also diamond-encrusted nursing bras and ribbon christening wraps, as well as coats and women's button-down pajamas in patterns inspired by vintage colored sheets.
"I couldn't help projecting myself into the work and being influenced by the experience," Rocha said at the end of her show (which, it's worth noting, was the only event of London fashion season where mask-wearing was encouraged at the door) Afterwards, some viewers were moved to tears. "I had many sleepless nights. It was exhausting. But at the end of the day, I'm honored to be back here to present and share my latest inspiration in person."
Richard Quinn sits front row at Fashion Week's most star-studded show, flanked by the likes of Boy George and Kate Moss (who came to see her model daughter Laila Moss walk off the show), and behind her The following photographers. The ultimate showman, Quinn emphasized some of his signature brand signatures—such as oversized prints, studded and spiked leather coats, and lavish gowns layered over tapered trousers. Still, Quinn has occasionally made near-joke homages to other designers, including Balenciaga's Demna Gvasalia.
So how do you develop and encourage the next generation of designers? Like Dojaka, her confident and sensual work deftly crystallizes the desire of many young women to show their bodies after months of being cooped up at home. Or Supriya Lailai, who entered the final selection of the LVMH Award, played with the concept of revealing and hiding through asymmetrical shapes and bare skin.
And yet another LVMH finalist, Charles Geoffrey , who led guests, including London Mayor Sadiq Khan, into the cavernous industrial nightclub Electrowerkz, letting his own treasures—dramatic tailoring and glamour— Punk-esque splatter prints – come across them in turn, the catwalk models are a bunch of cool kids from London's underground.
In order to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the company, the British jewelry brand Mulberry invited cutting-edge designers to redesign some classic handbags, and at the same time gave them the freedom to develop new inspirations. Following Priya Ahluwalia and Nicholas Daley, the brand has recently teamed up with Richard Malone, who at the Victoria and Albert Museum puts his exploration of the jewel-toned heritage of Irish craft heritage at Models, let them run the show in the Renaissance Collection Gallery.
But perhaps another broader shift in industry attitudes is needed: a true acceptance of the combination of digital displays and physical runways as a way to see new fashions. For someone used to appreciating the drama and spectacle of the runway, or paying close attention to clothes and fabrics, it can be a complicated transition. But for designers, the financial and emotional stress of walking a live show was widely acknowledged even before the pandemic. If brand survival is a priority in this industry, then habits need to change.
Case in point: Emilia Wickstead and Victoria Beckham both opted for a digital-first format. Wickstead created a video that pays homage to French New Wave cinema, reimagining her dresses and pieces in fruity hues and floral prints. Beckham's business looks included cleanly tailored trench coats and coats, matching tunic tops and trousers that reflected her penchant for men's silhouettes, and silky slip dresses with wide open backs.
Digital creativity was indeed on full display. With a short 1970s retro-inspired video and a GIF of her looks, Woolmark Award winner Marty Bovana 's colorful and stylish crochet shawls, knitted stockings and recycled fabric evening gowns also outshone the More psychedelic effects have been added in the past. And Michael Harpern produced a video starring the Royal Ballet's principal dancers in tuxedo, dynamite in motion.
"I want to support London's performing arts scene and the dancers who have endured so much with amazing discipline and determination," he said backstage at the shoot earlier this month, standing with a neatly fringed A colorful top, a ball tutu skirt studded with Swarovski crystals and a silky evening gown. "After so much uncertainty, I wanted to capture the joy of them returning to the stage, with their heads held high, to keep things moving forward."
A similar sentiment produced one of the most moving scenes of the week. As guests gathered under the colonnade of the British Museum to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Erdam Morarioglu's debut on Sunday night, a storm fell from the sky. The designer is keen to draw inspiration from eccentric figures from British history; this season it was the turn of the poet Edith Sitwell and the aristocratic philanthropist Altrin Morel. Their influence gave rise to embroidered flowers and bold prints, Edwardian tunic silhouettes and hats, romantic white lace gowns and crisp men’s tuxedos; an ode to survival and a letter A love letter to London's maverick soul.
"I feel very lucky to be an independent fashion label in London, thanks to all the people who make it possible," Molariog wrote in his show notes.
As the final show progressed, a rare double rainbow broke through the clouds and hung triumphantly in the gloomy sky.
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