4 things you should know from London Fashion Week Fall 2018. Where creativity meets social commentary meets newness.
London Fashion Week is a big stir of everything from old and new and it was fun. The plethora of collections were interesting especially coming from the up and coming new designers to the stalwart familiar-named designers whom are further pushing the boundaries to their collections. More and more themes and commentary were covered, making London Fashion Week a bevy of all things poignant and meaningful. Not only that but this would be an interesting start to a new era of fashion where younger designers are also injecting new excitement into the scene.
Bora Aksu Fall 2018 RTW. Image courtesy of mirror.co.uk
Talk About Gender
Bora Aksu returned this season of fashion week new ideas for this collection. His latest RTW AW2018 featured Margaret Ann Bulkley as his muse the 18th century woman disguised as a man to practice surgeon. This collection, too, explores the womanhood and manhood, all intricately echoed in the fabric and details. The collection begins with the floral and floating fabrics, mixed with an array of pastel pleats, tulle and organza. And then moves on to the more au courant wide-legged trousers and tailored jackets to show masculinity. While J.W. Anderson placed emphasis on the celebrating fluidity by combining his first men and women collection. Modest, practical and simple best describe the entire collection presented, hitting all the JW signature pieces including chunky knits, oversized hems and skirts. The collection was conceptual enough to bring out its its androgynous characters.
No Fool in the Floral and Patterns
We have seen many collections take a serious nod to prints and floral. It was clear that one of our favorites, Simone Rocha, stood out among the many. The collection brought out the romantic and feminine Simone Rocha we have come to know. This AW2018 collection features fabric layering, ruche and asymmetrical hemlines, reminiscent of a vintage old doll. While Erdem Moralioglu’s AW2018 collection was inspired by 1980s statement of oversized silhouette of trousers, jackets, floral jacquard dresses complete with the polka dot veils each models wore. Velvet dresses and ruffles were also major themes to the pieces, echoing a noir Victorian-esque feel. Other than floral, Richard Malone brought about the stripes through vibrant colors in his AW2018 collection. The collection played on lines with jackets in vibrant schemes and colors of aqua blue and Willy Wonka purple.
Simone Rocha Fall 2018 RTW. Photography Jason Lloyd Evans. Image courtesy of wallpaper.com
The Commentary Prints
Commenting on social issues close to us is no new concept. For Ashley Williams, the collection was inspired by the Stonehenge era. Completely disregarding the era of technology, the label’s AW2018 collection is an exploration to the “U.K and all its monolithic marvels.” Pieces of the collection include patchwork fleece, checkered patterns of poncho, suits, and ruffled skirts maintaining a steady use of polka dots in the collection. While Christopher Kane took on commentary on the kink aspect, which took on a worldlier desires of the human body. With literal pieces to translate the commentary, the collection features prints of The Joy of Sex and More Joy of Sex on dresses. The collection serves as a commentary rather than the act of sensuality and sexual provocation, albeit its controversial stroke.
Christopher Kane Fall 2018 RTW. Image courtesy of theimpression.com
Creativity Unleashed
Central Saint Martin’s was one of the shows that showcased an interesting and vibrant show of its top performing students. A good smear of confidence is what the runway shows were all about; there were fabrics clashes, colorful mesh and bold tailoring that made them standout, daring, and stellar in showmanship. Richard Quinn as a 2016 graduate from the institution also appeared in London Fashion Week, with his signature eccentric ‘gimp suits’ on models. His collection is nothing conventional and safe where head to toe, models are covered in rich print work and dramatic silhouette. Quinn’s collection was one that put Her Majesty The Queen on the front row and thus, he was presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. One could definitely see a nudge on fashion, where out of the world imagination and peculiar creativity is crucial for the industry’s later influences.
It’s always a great start to see more creativity seep into the fashion industry, especially where the newer generations are disregarding the conventions. This particular fashion week values opinion, values loudness and voice – and it’s all in statement that each and every designers interweave to create a collection that becomes much more valuable and colorful. We get a look of what innovation and creativity is all about among the Brits and we do hope their innovation will never cease to inspire the industry all the more.
Queen Elizabeth II and Anna Wintour at Richard Quinn Fall 2018 Show. Photo: Getty Images via Vogue.com