LFW AW20 - The Graduates
When challenges face the fashion industry, questioning its practices in a world of climate change and impossible-to-trace supply chains, we need to continue to encourage the creativity, the spontaneity and the innovation, that makes our city stand out on the fashion stage. And, where better to start than the new generation of designers.
We had the pleasure of attending the graduate show at the University of Westminster. This is no ordinary fashion course. It has very respectable alumni: Roberta Einer, Liam Hodges, Christopher Baily and Viviene Westwood, to name a few. This year, with their graduate collections, the BA students honed their skills, free of the constraints of a major label's brief but with experience at some of the worlds biggest houses. From placements with Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Balmain and Givenchy, the list of internships is as admirable as the students' final collections.
Professor Andrew Groves has much to do with this success; he has radically changed how fashion study is delivered, aligning it with the international fashion calendar. This marks the 3rd time that the course has shown on schedule at LFW. And after the show, when the final model steps off of the runway, the university is already primed to help their students at the next stage; to develop business relationships with buyers at Paris Espace Commines. This is no ordinary fashion course: take a look at some of the Westminster BA graduates that made our Fashion Week:
Brandon Choi
Brandon Choi's collection lives in a place where art meets social commentary. Models paraded in exquisitely sculptural outfits resembling toiles, exploring the raw beauty of works-in-progress. The voluminous silhouettes demonstrated Choi's mastery in draping; with outfits comprising of calico, taffeta and crinoline in a palette of sands and whites. There was also a melancholic element; approaching the subject of lost connectedness both physically and psychologically in an age where digital currency reigns. Perhaps the aspect of the incomplete was rejecting the notion of a life lived on screen and our overly-polished social-selves. A thought-provoking and artfully constructed collection.... watch this non-digital space.
Brandon Choi
Fennuala Butterfield
It was hard to keep our eyes off of the striking designs in Fennuala Butterfield's collection. Nun-like figures paraded in squeaky clean red PVC tempered with pink and white cotton. Taking inspiration from low-budget horror and porn movies from the '70s, the pallette and the silhouettes reflected the idea of sexual repression and purity, all beautifully wrapped up in liberating PVC. If Fennuala continues to produce such striking and original work, this will be one sartorial habit that will be hard for us to kick. Having secured internships with Balmain, Simone Rocha and H&M to date, we look forward to seeing more from this talented designer.
Steven Stokey-Daley
For AW20 Stokey-Daley explored the fragmented elements of British society through the upper echelons of its class system. From Brideshead to Eton to the boat race at Henley, our view of public school culture is often distorted and romanticised through screen adaptations.. Stokey-Daley played on these thoroughly British stereotypes with trench coats, outerwear and ties in stripes and checks, layered over knitted sleepwear referencing the less glamourous house life of every 'boarder'. Whimsical hats such as the Boater worn at Henley, completed the look. Taking traditions and reimagining them with a playful, modern twist, this collection is accessible and noteworthy. No wonder the teams at Tom Ford and Alexander McQueen sat up and paid Stokey-Daley attention.
Vane Bon
Vane Bon has already worked with the likes of Thom Browne and Mary Katrantzou. Perhaps the latter appreciated his sense of sculptural aesthetics. Vane's graduate show was an explosion of colour and contrasting fabrics, celebrating power, fetishism and the heroines of retro-futurist films - though not the ones that take themselves too seriously. Glamour met athleticism but not in a languid sports-luxe kind of way, more with the message of...... 'I'm going to win.'
Karolina Brown
Like walking chandeliers, the models at Karolina Brown held their heads high amongst glittering, diamond-encrusted hats. As if they had run from a 19th-century ballroom, clutching every gown, sumptuous textile and heirloom they could find. And yet, this combination of luxurious fabric and embellishment works; part costume, part sculpture, playful and eyecatching. With internships at Roberta Einer, Alexander McQueen and Marc Jacobs, Karolina is already rich in experience, with her eyes firmly on the prize.
Hannah Sosna
Hannah Sosna delivered sophistication with an edge at her AW20 collection. The palette was inspired by the early days of television when viewers waited expectantly for programmes to begin, and screens were filled with colour test cards. Taking these bright tones tempered with the greys from the cards, Sosna adorned the suits in geometric prints while referencing the silhouettes of that era. Additional modern details like pleated overskirts brought it to the modern-day. Stylish and accessible, a great first show.
Hannah Sosna