London Fashion Week Part 2

Vin & Omi

Each season you know that Fashion Week has begun when you watch the first models strut down the catwalk for the Vin and Omi show. This season seemed even more fitting as they continued the work they started in 2019 with Charles, the newly appointed King, at Highgrove, where they explored ways of utilising waste plant materials from the estate.

Vin and Omi are more than fashion designers; they are recipients of a science scholarship for sustainable innovations in fashion and interiors. Where other designers use the catwalk to sell clothes, they use it as a platform for change, producing one-off garments never duplicated as part of a commercial collection. The designers are on a mission to challenge the industry and change the course of sustainable fashion design.

This season, we gathered in central London's Congress Centre near Holborn to see their latest show, 'Opinions', created with environmental objectives in mind and commentary around other social and economic issues.

Vin and Omi transformed waste nettles from Highgrove and the Royal Parks into a nettle textile via a coiling process. The clothes designed as part of the duo's UK Estates Sustainable Impacts project also utilised recycled material from discarded garments or rejected fashion industry stock. They told us, "The freedom we are given to work with a range of waste materials from the Highgrove Estate has enabled us to explore exciting new textiles and recycling processes and, more importantly, introduce those innovations to a wide range of students to benefit the next generation of sustainable designers."

Vin and Omi celebrated their show with 60 models, a display of inclusivity with people of all ages and backgrounds utilising the runway to voice their sentiments on the current living, economic and environmental crisis. From a Black Bomber with a tulle floor-length skirt decorated with the words 'Kill Corporate Greed' to a latex minidress declaring 'Resist' and an oversized bomber stating, "Stop Excess'. The show featured further innovations with fabric, including the designers' Netamorph material created using recycled fishing nets, an initiative under the VIN + OMI foundation that engages the fishing community in the environmental agenda. Accessories included headdresses made from recycled plastic hair salon bottles and discarded wooden office furniture from the hair brand KMS.

With looks in a spectrum of colours punctuated by moments of performance, the show was as engaging and enjoyable as we've come to expect. Vin and Omi's creations are always striking; while others shout about sustainable practices, this duo's objectives towards the planet are well-intentioned and authentic - as is the message, and the delivery is always fun. We only wish we could purchase and wear some of those magnificent pieces!

Chet Lo

Chet Lo gave us an insight into personal resilience this season, explaining, "When I feel down, my mum always tells me to pray. It helps me to find my centre." SS23 explored Buddhist theories around the cyclical and infinite journey of life, contemplating the idea that, at its end, we think there is a dot, a punctuation, where it is actually a circle. That circle offers sentiments of hope expressed through the designer's latest collection.

SS23 marked the 25-year-old Asian American designer's first solo show after two seasons with Fashion East under the British Fashion Council's NewGen initiative. Chet told us, "This season, I wanted the collection to be very focused on where I grew up and my cultural background, which my previous collections always have been, but this time round, I really wanted to make a point of it. I grew up Buddhist, and we used to go to Temple every week." The collection focused on a particular tale that takes place on the night of Buddha's enlightenment, where arrows intended as weapons cannot touch Buddha but fall as flowers to his feet. Garments with slashed materials represented this spiritual narrative as if grazed by the arrow's point.

This season saw the designer embracing his signature 3D fabric while experimenting with other materials and textures. Knitwear and denim pieces contained more symbolism in the form of lotus flower prints that informed the design of the hats, an ode to Chinoiserie. The lotus patterns, symbolic of purity, were heavily inspired by Dutch graphic designer Karel Marten who was known for his bold, progressive design style. Lo's floral tribute to the artist played with perspective, not just visually but philosophically, as the flowers looked abstract in close-up but became apparent from afar. Models walked carrying gigantic, spiked balls, a continuation of that Buddhist message, the balls symbolic of our fragile place in the universe, while floral beads decorated stunning translucent dresses.

This collection marks a progression in the designer's work as Lo explores new materials whilst referencing the classic, elegant styles he was known for during his time at CSM while also encompassing his love of futurism. He told us, "I wanted that juxtaposition of how I used to think and how I'm thinking now: a mix of sexy and modern but also old-fashioned." It was a show that demonstrated a designer looking back while striding forwards, a circularity in the message and the process informing new designs and advancement in his creative journey. And his collaboration with Nothing phones also shows us Chet Lo is a designer with an eye on the future.

As always, it was a stunning show from a designer that is a master of innovative engineering and the fusion of classic and contemporary. Lo told us, "This collection is all about finding peace in my own life." With a solo show and collections that at 25 have brought much praise, Chet Lo must simultaneously feel peace and exhilaration; for what he's achieved so far - and for what's to come.

All Chet Lo images: Jason Lloyd-Evans

Eftychia

Designer Eftychia Karamolegkou returned to London Fashion Week with her SS23 collection entitled "Bleeding Edge", the term referring to a form of technology that has been made available to the public but has not been thoroughly tested and which brings with it a degree of risk. That title could be a metaphor for the life of a fashion designer who brings their work to the runway and awaits the public's response.

With SS23, Eftychia had no cause for concern, presenting us with a collection of understated elegance in neutral and earthy tones which enthralled all of us who attended her catwalk show. It was a miscellany of pieces which juxtaposed masculine suiting with forward-thinking femininity. One where cut-out single- and double-breasted jackets and lightweight mohair jackets featured alongside high-waisted pants and Bermuda shorts in caramel and navy. One which also displayed a sophisticated sensuality with the most gorgeous double slashed bronze dresses kept in place with an array of buttons and loops while wool and cotton miniskirts were suffused with the grown-up glamour synonymous with the brand.

Eeva Rinne

An unexpected but welcome addition to the Eftychia ethos was the designer's first foray into denim with certain pieces, including the reimagined iconic Grampa trouser, made in blue and white denim.

As always, the pieces moved majestically in no small part, aided by the designer's use of a double layering technique where a lighter technical fabric was placed on top of the cotton, giving them an ethereal flow. While tank tops and paper-thin vests made from treated 100% Japanese linen yarn also possessed a luscious liquidity.

It was a collection characterised by Eftychia's meticulous attention to craftsmanship and her gold-standard tailoring technique, skills which she applied using the most luxurious fabric sourced from William Halstead, a 150-year-old weaving mill in Yorkshire. And one imbued with an environmental empathy throughout the creative and production processes.

With "Bleeding Edge", Eftychia gifted us a collection replete with the comforting capabilities of her trademark artful, relaxed elegance. An assemblage of eminently wearable pieces. It also showed us a designer who is constantly evolving and staying faithful to her brand's philosophy but who is also unafraid to explore and experiment with designs which brought an additional edge to that implied by this standout collection's title.

Eftychia SS23_FOH_Haydon Perrior_BFC_web_20.jpg

Eftychia SS23, Backstage (Eeva Rinne, British Fashion Council) 56 Lo Res.jpg

Eftychia SS23_FOH_Haydon Perrior_BFC_web_7.jpg

Eftychia SS23_FOH_Haydon Perrior_BFC_web_25.jpg

Heydon Perrior & Eeva Rinne

Rixo

When we entered the Hop exchange in London Bridge this season for the Rixo SS23 show, we were taken aback by the venue's stunning beauty. Its high ceilings and ornate decor made for the most striking backdrop to the duo's latest collection. And those lofty heights also allowed their joyful music to ring out around the room. We walked into the sounds of 'We are Family' and a line-up of gorgeous ladies in the new collection dancing and laughing in a demonstration of unity with a backdrop of Ca'Pietra tiles.

Rixo's founders, Henrietta Rix and Orlagh McCloskey, were dressed in black to pay their respects to The Queen. Henrietta told us, "I was so deeply saddened with the news of Her Majesty's passing; she was a truly extraordinary woman who unwaveringly dedicated herself selflessly to serve her country and her people with dignity and grace. Our presentation today has been adapted to mark our respect for everything Her Majesty did for us." And the duo were determined to celebrate The Queen respectfully and triumphantly as the music carried across the grand venue. At the same time, guests joined in sipping delicious cocktails or drinking heritage English breakfast tea.

Rixo has become synonymous with delicate feminine beauty captured in elegant floral dresses. This season the British contemporary womenswear brand showcased its collection entitled 'Postcards from Goa', inspired by Orlagh's recent trip to this beautiful coastal destination. She told us she fell in love with the Fontainhas area, also known as Goa's Latin Quarter, noticing parallels between the intricate local ceramics, bright patterns and bright, bold buildings and Rixo's signature prints. Elements like seahorses, shells and suns informed the hand-painted prints for this season, whilst the duo have moved towards more block colours and structured looks with Co-ords making up 60 new shapes. It was a collection that also paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth's iconic style with colour-blocked matching jackets and dress sets.

Rixo has built a solid customer base since its inception in 2015, with faithful followers trusting them for clothes made with high-quality fabrics and complementary feminine styles. The duo are excited to see how the different designs in the new collection are received, explaining, "we wanted to bring our wearers joy and happiness when they wore our SS23 collection, creating prints and pieces that felt unique to RIXO's DNA. We've worked hard to introduce so many gorgeous new shapes and details this season, and we're excited to show these to our #humansofRIXO."

The key to Rixo's popularity is the dedication to their customers, to provide quality products and ensure that their clothes accentuate and celebrate their femininity irrespective of age, size and nationality. Though there was an element of sadness at The Queen's passing, the atmosphere that day among the models and those looking on was one of celebratory delight that Her Majesty would surely have appreciated. It was a collection and presentation that lasted in our memory long after leaving the Hop Exchange. And hopefully, that makes Orlagh and Henrietta smile as much as we all did.

THALEENA_BLACK FOUNTAINHAS FLORAL (1).jpg

Images courtesy of Rixo

Noki

On the final day of London, Fashion Week saw the last of the designers showing their SS23 designs after a day of national mourning. There were still lots of collections and show that surprised us, made us think and brought a sense of fun to the day. None did this, as did the Noki show staged in Covent Garden.

Noki is one of the original anarchists whose commentary focuses on sustainability and against fashion waste. Originating from the 90's Shoreditch rave scene, the label began as a critique of capitalism, challenging our patterns of consumerism. It was inspired by Katie Leasn's Adbusters, founded in 1989 as "a global network of artists, activists, writers, pranksters, students, educators and entrepreneurs who want to advance the new social activist movement of the information age."

Dr Noki repurposes and melds sweatshirts and tees and makes logo mashups resulting in one-off couture streetwear. It's a self-described "Franken Fashion" style that brings new life to unloved garments and fresh perspectives to sustainable street style. Dr Noki is aware of the collective apathy preventing large companies and consumers from making enough change to stop the tide of environmental disaster. His revolutionary and irreverent design approach is powerful in aesthetics and message.

This season saw models strutting purposefully in one-off styles emblazoned with an ode to the NHS and decorated in characters like Marge Simpson, Mini Mouse and Playboy Bunny. The collection had elements of collective creativity between the designer and those who share his message. Holes were cut into tees worn as masks; this was a collaboration between Noki and HollyJohnson, where Noki customised Frankie Goes to Hollywood t-shirts and transformed them into his original SOB masks. While there was also a piece from a recent TRUST Judy Blame collab with NESTT, a company that helps build emotional resilience and well-being in children and young people. Other designs included slashed tie-dye dresses, while skateboard accessories served as wooden wings. Every outfit was a striking use of repurposed materials that shook perceptions of stale upcycled design.

Dr Noki's latest collection was one of many in his years as a commentator against fast fashion, though each one still stops us in our tracks. Through his creativity, he has been spreading this message for decades, and it's about time we listened. This sentiment becomes increasingly timely and poignant for a generation racing against the clock. It's a playful and powerful collection with a youthful aesthetic that will resonate with that generation as it reminds us all to consider the power we possess as consumers to make positive changes.

See more Noki designs here:

WWW.NOKISHOP.COM