This season celebreMagazine has been invited to cover London Fashion Week Women’s. You will get to know the designers showcasing their latest creation to the world-renowned catwalk of LFW, the inspiration behind their collections and the trends that we will all be wearing this coming Autumn-Winter 2020. 22 shows, 5 days, one front row at the time.
Friday February 14th at 11 o’clock the one show that for all of us attending LFW has been signing the END of the season, it has this year actually welcomed us all at the grand opening of the event itself. ON/OFF is talent support programme established in 2002 from the passion and eagerness to nurture and support new and raw fashion talents through to success. In almost 20 years ON/OFF has mentored and showcased more than five hundred designers, kicking off the careers of some of the greatest names in fashion, like Christopher Kane, JW Anderson, Roksanda, Peter Pilotto and Mother of Pearl. The theme for the show was “All Power to The Imagination”. Taking inspiration by this creative resistance slogan scrawled on Paris walls during the uprisings of 1968. It was created by Situationist International a group of revolutionaries made up of avant-garde artists, intellectuals and theorists, who were pro Dada and Surrealism; anti-establishment.
This statement was a reflection of the ON/OFF mood this season. It reflects the desire to protect the art of fashion, individualism and self-expression, sending a positive message of hope for the creative industry. Showcasing under the ON/OFF roster, there were House of SheldoneHall.
House of SheldoneHall
This Yorkshire based fashion house created by Steven Sheldon and Emma Hall. House of SheldonHall combines experimental textiles, application and innovative pattern cutting techniques to produce fashion unlike any other. British eccentricity at its best, with one-off pieces designed, hand-painted, embroidered and hand-made in Yorkshire. Their pieces have been requested by British Vogue, Tatler magazine, Nicole Kidman and Lady Gaga. The SheldonHall’s women are brave, living out the fantasy through fashion. Puffy tulle skirts, pleats, ruffles and bows but above all the UNION JACK, proudly hand-painted on the garments. Nationalism at its best!
Iyanu
IYA₦U is a London based Textile designer, a self-proclaimed Fresh Prince of Colour and a walking personification of her work which celebrates trans-cultural identity, effortlessly fusing her Nigerian roots with a British upbringing. Her collection “Things Fall Apart” pays homage to Nigerian author Chinua Achebe and celebrates the identity of colonial culture in a post-colonial Nigerian.The collection pivot around graphics, composition and colour, creating a unique and identifiable signature, whether print, knit, photography or illustration. Romanticising the African past and bringing the history of Nigeria into modern expression; eloquently fusing it with the social, historical and cultural situations currently being faced in modern Africa.
404 Studio
404 Studio is an emerging fashion brand based in Spain and takes its name from the internet domain error: 404 “not found”. Their approach to fashion is based on seeking uniqueness and reinventing tradition in a contemporary key, designing and producing knitted garments using the crochet as their main technique. 404 also merges fashion and cinema, with movies being the core inspiration for their collections.
Eftychia
At the end of the ON/OFF show we move on to admire the stunning new collection by EFTYCHIA at the Discovery Lab, part of the NEWGEN panel. Eftychia Karamolegkou is a Greek designer living and working in London. Trained as a graphic designer in Athens, she decided to pursue a career in fashion, and after interning for Mary Katrantzou, Antonio Marras and Marques Almeida, she was finally accepted at Central Saint Martin from where she graduated with a Masters in Womenswear in 2017. EFTYCHIA collections are inspired by the modern working woman and how she interacts with her surrounding, at work or in public. AVIOPOLIS, the name of her latest collection, reimagine the airport as it exists for the travelling businesswomen.
Her woman is one of the many working women, an individual within a busy crowd and the airport waiting room becomes the microscope under which the concept of identity, control and luxury are getting scrutinized and called into question. This collection focuses not on the aesthetics but on the wearer’s personal satisfaction and ultimate comfort; the priority is practicality and longevity, echoed by her choice of collaborating with RIMOWA luggage. Prince of Wales, checks allude to heritage, while soft wool gives the tailoring a more casual and comfortable look. A notch lapel is introduced for the first time, as well as additional focus on shoulder construction, marking comfort as a priority. Harrington jackets are lined with shearling, challenging the line between casual and luxury, Coats and skirts are re-introduced made of Ventile, a non-coated but 100% waterproof cotton fabric, suitable for outdoors and travelling.
Knitted shirts and chunky knits complete a smart yet cosy wardrobe, essential while on a business trip. The colours of choice for this collection are camel, grey and brown with pops of brick and orange. These muted colours are matched with androgynous silhouettes, contrasting with heritage checks and technical fabrics, making EFTYCHIA’s aesthetics unique and difficult to label or compartmentalize – like the airport her clothes transcend time and trends.
Charlotte Knowles
2019 saw the booming of athleisure and a rise in the sale of underwear to be worn as outwear rather than under clothes. Once the trend became popular among celebrities, it was clear that the world was fast-falling in love with it and especially with the ugly duckling of the range: the shapewear. With “I can feel it in my bones” the south London based designer Charlotte Knowles and her partner Alexandre Arsenault is offering an edgier version of shapewear bringing the corset to the catwalk. The collection is inspired by the discovery of a 19th-century style in a costume archive, where the corset is made to be sat on top of a T-shirt or a suit, making it more a form of protection than restraint.
The narrow stitching of its boning is replicated on fluid, strapless dresses, side-seems left open and held together with hook-and-eye fastening. Layering is only key throughout the collection. The colours chosen are earthy, from the burnt orange, tan and ochre mixed with cool mauve and grey. Tailoring is nostalgic, with round necks and nipped waists, and the prints are hand-drawn. A new garment for the brand, the t-shirt, has been introduced into the collection with floral and paisley prints, reminiscing of baroque motifs. Washed leather shirting and sheepskin outerwear provide a tough outer layer for a woman who is a warrior without giving up her femininity. Accessories are also of great relevance with reptile boots, warrior-like leather belts, double around the waist, while the jewellery line is created in collaboration with Florence Tetier: delicate constellations of floating beads, or crushed metal, in which colourful shards of resin are embedded like jewels.
University of Westmister BA
Among the more established names of the LFW the students of the University of Westminster has also proved that their designing skills are second to none. This has been made possible by a University programme where the course is tailored around the international fashion calendar and that by the time these students graduate, they will have already worked alongside the biggest names in fashion from McQueen to Tom Ford. Outstanding collections were those by Tumisola Ladega, Hannah Sosna and Karolina Brown.
Tumisola Ladega
Tumii by Tumisola, the British-Nigerian designer is inspired by the likes of Burberry, David Koma and Ralph & Russo. In her collection she explores the question: “At what point does a girl become a woman, and can she be both?”, bringing to the catwalk a collection inspired by the oversized, hip-hop sportswear of the 90s youth culture with the more conservative tailoring of the 80s. The collection explores exaggerated silhouettes with the oversized puffer coats and unusual fabric combinations of cotton and exotic leather.
Hannah Sosna
Scottish designer Hannah Sosna gained her inspiration for the AW20 collection by the birth of colour television and the introduction of test cards, referenced throughout the collection with the use of bold and colourful geometric prints created using sublimation printing. The silhouettes of the suits are inspired by the menswear of the time while the colour block gives a sense of anarchy and fun into the sombre palette of city suiting.
Karolina Brown
The opulence of the 19th century balls are behind the creation of the “Midnight Masquerade” collection by the British-Polish designer Karolina Brown. Influenced by designers Roberta Einer, Alexander Mc Queen and Marc Jacobs, Karolina’s collection is very feminine. A chaotic combination of colours, heavy embellishment, prints and fabrications create a dreamlike world of sparkling and shimmer, fantasy and romanticism.
Amy MOLINEAUX and Frankie Phillips
To close the first day of LFW AW20 catwalks there was the collaboration between Amy MOLINEAUX and Frankie Phillips, creative director of the sustainable and affordable fashion brand, ToBeFrank.
Sustainability is at the core of their work and their collaboration proves that one doesn’t have to compromise style to save the earth. This fantastic collection of luxury daywear was born out of the belief that it is possible to create an inspirational fashion brand for people who want to know exactly what their clothes are made of and where they come from. Jerseys, recycled cotton, plastic bottle denim and faux leather are all developed in the most sustainable and eco-friendly way with vegetable dyes, zero water technology washing and compressed apple juice waste.
The company works with state-of-the-art factories in Turkey, which work to the highest standard to help create a collection, which is 90% sustainable using no virgin material. The silhouettes of the collection take inspiration from the Elizabethan time, with high necks, tailored monochrome playsuits, recycled lace trims with organza woven from recycled plastic and A-line chiffon cocktail dresses made from spun left-over cotton husk. Recycled wool coats in tow tone off white and black with recycled buttons. Beautiful monochrome pieces exuding a minimalist French style and femininity but that also reminded me of the stylish outfit of the fictional character of Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl.
Meanwhile, in the beautiful historic setting of Somerset House, headquarters of the British Fashion Council, Bettie Haute Couture is showcasing her collection under the brand incubator Fashion HONG KONG. Fashion Hong Kong is a series of promotional events organized by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) to promote Hong Kong fashion designers and labels on a global scale.
Fashion HONG KONG
With a unique cultural and historical background, HK designers are known for their creativity and efficiency. HK is an international city and it is its multiculturalism that inspires HK designers, a mix in terms of lifestyle and culture, East meets West which makes HK fashion very unique. With “Awaken”, Bettie Jiang, owner of Bettie Haute Couture, showcases her first womenswear collection, inspired by the “Gentle appearance with a tough personality” of the women of the 21st century. Her woman is independent and well aware of what she wants to pursue and possess.
Bettie Haute Couture
Bettie began her fashion designer career in the UK, where after graduating from the University of Arts in London she worked for the fashion studio of Alexander McQueen and Giles Deacon, where she gained hands-on experience of the British Tailoring. She was part of the Alexander McQueen SS09 Collection specializing in pattern design. Her design of hummingbirds has been turned into the McQueen signature-Skull, this was one of her creations under McQueen. Bettie’s Haute Couture collection reflects the craftsmanship and sartorial traditions of Britain. Stripes and Scottish Tartans are the choice of fabrics for the “Awaken” collection, as she tries to create awareness of classical and traditional beauty. Scottish tartans have a long history in the UK and each piece of Scottish Tartan is uniquely named after different families and institutions. To Bettie fashion means to be oneself.
A fashion piece should help us explore our own personality and reinforce our self-confidence, and with this collection, Bettie wants to empower women to express themselves with confidence and encourage them not to shy away from who they really are.
by Maria Bello – Fashion Journalist