London Fashion Week 2016 - highlights on the catwalk
London's Fashion Week has recently built a reputation for invention and creativity. This year 83 designers are showcasing their Autumn/Winter 2016-2017 collections. Here are some of the highlights.
The British fashion event of the year
It is that time of the year again when streets turn into catwalks and models lurk behind every corner - London Fashion Week, the trendsetting event of the year. Up-and-coming designers are as important during this annual celebration of style as the established names and brands of the industry.
Orient meets occident
Not all shows focus exclusively on British themes during the London Fashion Week. With designers increasingly featuring social ideas in their work, London is no longer immune to including 'foreign' themes. House of Mea, for instance, brings designers from the Middle East to the heart of the British capital, giving them a global audience.
Mulberry gets a facelift
Mulberry has long been trying to divorce itself from its old image of making modest handbags. With Johnny Coca on board as a new designer, the UK-based fashion house has presented a mixture of futuristic metal detail and Shakespearean drama, stretching themes across centuries while maintaining a decidedly British identity.
Apocalyptic fashion
Vivienne Westwood has shown once more that fashion statements can also serve as political statements. The invitation to her catwalk presentation spoke of the extinction of the human race, calling for a greener future. Meanwhile on the catwalk, Westwood focused once more on her signature androgynous style while daring to explore brave color combinations.
Inspired by Grace Jones
Sibling decided to explore the 1980s for the creations they presented at this year's London Fashion Week. Designers Cozette McCreery and Sid Bryan said they felt inspired by Grace Jones to dare to be retro. Their neon colors and loud patterns are almost reminiscent of the last night at Studio 54.
Alexander McQueen returns to London
More than a decade after McQueen, the designer, traded London for Paris as a show setting and six years after he killed himself, his successor, Sarah Burton, returned to the Royal Horticultural Halls in Westminster to present the brand's latest creations. The set was a simple wood floor, divided by misty curtains. The idea was to explore the dreamscapes between fantasy and nightmare.
Inspired by space
J.W. Anderson presented a rather unsual collection consisting of space-age tunics and trousers traced in zippers, cloudlike miniskirts and stiff satin jackets with the lines of a rocket ship. “If these hit the stores tomorrow, they could sink,” he said. “But I’m not interested in accessibility. I’m interested in clothes that are very good, or very bad.”
Simone Rocha's exploration of motherhood and femininity
She had a baby in the middle of preparing the collection and this effected the new collection for 2016. The clothes were kept in shades of black, cream, pink and red. They were made of fine fabrics but lose-fitting and with without any additional decorations.
Young talent and fresh ideas
The British Fashion Council invests heavily in showcasing graduates and highlighting new labels in order to give newcomers a chance. For them it is a unique chance to be seen and picked up by a major buyer, of course, with each year featuring new trends. This year, ladies' fascinators and hats appear to have made a comeback.