London Fashion Week SS16
It is almost time for London Fashion Week SS16. To celebrate the second best thing to happen in the UK Fashion world (the first being The Northern School of Art BTEC Extended Diploma in Fashion & Textiles enrolling!) our course leader for BTEC Fashion and Textiles, Diane Watson has give us a run down of the best things London Fashion Week past and present.
1. PRESENT: Roksanda
After studying architecture and applied arts in her native Belgrade, Roksanda Ilincic came to London, where she earned her masters degree in Womenswear at Central St. Martins. She has been showing her collections on the London Fashion Week schedule since 2005, recently adding swimwear and blossom, a childrenswear line, to the ready-to-wear offering.
ROKSANDA’s signature take on shape and her bold use of colour has fast become a go-to for women who are after effortless day and eveningwear, with an unmistakably modern approach to luxury fashion.
2. PRESENT – REIN
Rebecca Morter and Gemma Vanson met whilst studying at London College of Fashion, graduating with honours and founding REIN in 2013. Prior to this, they gained valuable experience at Alexander Wang (Rebecca) and Christopher Raeburn (Gemma). The graduate collection presents laser cut, cage-like structures that encompass the wearer, referencing women as a victim to the male gaze. This collection has been worn by some of the world’s most influential celebrities; Lady Gaga, EVE, Cheryl Cole, Charlie XCX and Lisa Maffia.
3. PAST – 1998 – Alexander McQueen And The Spray Robot
Now Alexander ‘Lee’ McQueen was a man who knew how to put on a show. He smashed all LFW boundaries from the get-go with his debut ‘Highland Rape’ collection back in 1995, but one of our favourite moments ever was his 1998 masterpiece, Number 13. Supermodel Shalom Harlow rotated on a wooden turntable as robotic arms spray painted her tulle dress before the audience’s very eyes. It was a genius statement about the increasingly automated production processes used in the fashion industry and, quite literally, left everybody staring at the future of fashion.
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4. PAST – 1997 – Matthew Williamson’s Electric Angels
London’s new king of boho was born in September 1997 when Central Saint Martins grad Matthew Williamson made his LFW debut. Pals Helena Christensen, Jade Jagger and Kate Moss modelled three of the future star’s 14 show looks, a colour clash collection like no other before, cleverly called Electric Angels.
5. PAST AND PRESENT – Food
Just what do fashionistas eat at London fashion week? According to Bertie de Rougemont of The Cellar Society, in fashion catering “You are always thinking about doing things in a manner that people might not expect.”
Avocado on toast with goat’s cheese and spinach shoots is a current winner. A tipple he thinks the crowds will go wild for this season is cucumber soda, made with freshly juiced cucumber, raw cane sugar and a bit of lemon juice passed through a SodaStream. De Rougemont also predicts big things for a black-coloured charcoal lime and lychee juice by Botanic labs. “It’s all natural fruit sugars, and the charcoal absorbs toxins. It is delicious with vodka, there’s a feeling that all the badness will disappear into the charcoal – a kind of pop-will-eat-itself drink concept that only fashion could come up with.” article here by Hannah Marriott, The Guardian.
6. PAST AND PRESENT – The celeb magnet that is Burberry
The award for most star-studded front row, always goes to Burberry.
Standard front row, for a Burberry Show:
1 – Bollywood beauty, Sonam Kapoor; 2 Black Eyed Peas rapper and music producer will.i.am; 3 Model and presenter, Alexa Chung; 4 War Horse star Jeremy Irvine, 5 Birdsong star Clemence Poesy; 6 Birdsong actor and Burberry model Eddie Redmayne; 7 Model Rosie Huntington-Whitely; 8 photographer Mario Testino; 9 Actress Kate Bosworth
Cara Delevingne, Jourdan Dunn, Sam Smith and Paloma Faith have been spotted in recent years.
6. PAST – 2001 – Maria Grachvogel
14 years ago we would never have dreamed that Victoria Beckham would grace the catwalks as a designer as in 2001, just after her wedding to David, Victoria walked the catwalk for Maria Grachvogel in one of the designers flamboyant designs.
7. PAST – 2001 – Philip Treacy
Not known for being shy and retiring, the Queen of hats, Grace Jones danced on a limo for the King of hats, Philip Treacy’s show in Tiffanys during the SS 2001 shows.
8. PAST AND PRESENT – Claire Barrow
No The Northern School of Art London Fashion Week blog would be complete without mentioning our very own Claire Barrow. Claire’s past shows at London Fashion Week have been exciting where we’ve also seen her collaborate with Tatty Devine. Check out what vogue had to say last year
We’re thrilled to see that she has once again showing as part of the NEWGEN Pop-Up Showroom. NEWGEN is the BFC’s landmark scheme to support the very best emerging talents; its ambition to build global, high end fashion brands for the future. The scheme offers designers financial support and showcasing opportunities at London Fashion Week to present their SS16 collection to influential press and buyers from around the world.
NEWGEN designers are identified by their creativity, strong design aesthetic and point of difference. The NEWGEN committee, chaired by Sarah Mower MBE, focused on selecting designers who are ready for the profile, platform and support that NEWGEN offers. The BFC, with support from the NEWGEN committee and TOPSHOP, will deliver individualised support and business seminars to assist the designers as they build their own infrastructure and skills.
Claire’s ss16 collection will be showcased on 20th September between 2pm-7pm at Designer Showrooms: NEWGEN, Brewer Street Car Park, Brewer Street, London W1F 0LA further details available here
Author:
Diane Watson is course leader for BTEC Extended Diploma in Fashion and Textiles at The Northern School of Art Middlesbrough and the creative director of Naughty Dog
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