CELEBRATED as the city that births some of the most innovative of designers, London has become renowned with building a progressive catwalk that challenges the status quo of luxury fashion to put forward an effortlessly cool and always exciting schedule season upon season. With the programme consisting predominantly of a new generation of designers, however, London has undoubtedly suffered over the covid years.
When big names JW Anderson and Raf Simons announced earlier this year that they would be joining the London schedule to showcase their SS23 shows, the former exhilaration for London Fashion Week flooded through fashion circles once again. Many knew that this would mark a rejuvenation of the fashion industry in London, and in turn build opportunities for nurturing up-and-coming designers.
Of course, as the world knows, with the passing of the Queen on 8 September 2022, the entire London Fashion Week schedule was thrown into a sticky web of confusion, with designers feeling the pressure to reschedule or cancel the shows that they had, in many cases, spent their entire savings on. Rumours of the entire weekend moving to another month circled, reassurances that the show would still go on followed. A day later, the BFC announced all shows could continue but all LFW events could not, in respect for the period of mourning.
It was quite a shock to us all, therefore, when Burberry cancelled its show entirely (since explained by the Royal Warant it maintains) and Raf Simons swiftly followed suit. Yet, despite this inevitable tremor in the LFW runnings, the designers that continued to move forward with their shows consequentially formed a community of determination, one that became an emotive metaphor for the unity found in the sadness that had swarmed the nation.
The collections that were subsequently shown offered an escapism that was so welcomed at this time. Designed for next year’s warmer months, the designers used a series of lighter fabrics, and innovative cuts, breathing a breath of fresh air into the noughties notes that were undeniably apparent. The frills, lace, and use of transparent fabrics equally brought a fantasy element the table – a fairy-like sparkle, with elongated trains, glass jewellery, and materials manipulated to form wings. The intricacy of these collections is amplified in the delicacy of the items, and the delicacy of the show itself – put on during a time of hardship to inspire change.
Whereas previously, the focus for Charlotte Knowles and Alexandre Arsenault of KNWLS has been about tough leathers, chunky knits, and dominatrix like accessorising with belts, SS23 marked a shift to a lighter approach, one which encouraged a fluidity rather than a rigidity, swapping the leather for denim, and the corsetry for frills. It is undeniably the girliest collection the design duo have produced, but one that we have seen coming for some time with their gradual increase in use of sheer. The rich earthy browns that KNWLS is known for was still there, but this season bubble gum pink and aqua blues took the stage, and when considered alongside the glittered hair (an instant reminder of primary school summer fetes) a certain youthful, playful and Y2K indication is felt.
Silk chiffon ruffles, laser engraved latex and lacquered lace – the Poster Girl SS23 collection was oozing with pretty. Spinning the concept of sexy on its head, the clothing celebrated sensuality, rather than anything overtly risqué. Styled with space age jewellery and elf-like spiky eyebrows, designed by beauty icon Issamaya French, and the collection culminated in a fusion of fairy-like fantasy and noughties naughtiness.
Marking the London Fashion Week debut for Susan Fang, the SS23 collection built upon the codes that her brand has become so renowned for. The juxtaposition between soft and hard was exquisitely done, with delicate Glass accessories built in sturdy floral structures, marble patterns drawn in the same fluidity as water, and a skilful use of gauze that was manipulated to create three-dimensional “air prints”. These are dream-like creations that introduce the joy into dressing once again.
“I’m so so so proud to be showing a little piece of my soul”, Chet Lo told his Instagram followers when posting about his SS23 collection. Inspired by the importance of sentiment, Lo focused on his Buddhist upbringing, blending his heritage into his modern approach to material manipulation. The slashing found in the cut out tops and the distressed dresses are inspired by the Buddhist tale that takes place on the night of Buddha’s enlightenment, in which Mara, the goddess of death, releases a sea of arrows towards Buddha, but as they near him, the weapons fall at his feet and transmute into flowers. Another tangible example is in the implementation of the lotus flower, an important symbol in Buddism, in footwear, on sheer gowns, and in jewellery, framing the collection with an elegant and meaningful finish.
Nensi Dojaka’s SS23 collection was built on her eternal inspiration of the flower, in which she harnessed the strength a floral structure needs to survive alongside the fluidity of its delicacy to build an array of items that were in bloom. The slip dresses and structured bralettes that Dojaka has become celebrated for were heightened, built in a shine of sequins that transformed into dew drops resting on waxy petals, decorated with love motifs once found on the 2000 runway, and featuring organza blooms at some points and wings on the bra cups at others. It’s every Dojaka fan’s fantasy.
Posing a darker angle to the fairy fantasy is Dilara Findikoglu, who explored her personal journey of spiritual freedom and re-birth for SS23 under the title “Freedom is a Two Edged Sword”. The feeling of being unsettled was felt throughout the collection, not only in the lack of music but also in the garments, which are designed in trapping corsetry techniques and infused by an undertone of deconstructed modesty. The use of silk, lace, and sheer materials that flow between both a cocooning shield and a skin baring tool is a nod to this personal struggle that Findikoglu had to endure to find her freedom. And despite the up-cycled victorian tapestry and victorian techniques, the collection is undeniably designed for the present girl.
by Lily Rimmer