Sonic the Hedgehog for Cassette Playa!
London Fashion Week blog: round-up
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By Maggie Davis
Posted: Mon Sep 25 2006 -
Maggie Davis concludes that London is still a hotbed of exciting design talent
‘Whaaaaaaaaaaaa, baaam, thud-thud-thud-thud. Boing, duh, duh, duh, duh, duh!’ The migraine-inducing techno can only signify one thing: the show of a first-timer at London Fashion Week (LFW). Cue the cool young b-boys in baggy tracksuit bottoms with graphic fluro prints, deconstructed shell suits in lurid acid tones, odd cardboard constructions in cubic forms and then, hello, it's Sonic the Hedgehog. This is the finale of London Fashion Week and Fashion East’s fledging MAN presentation, which launched a year ago to give the capital's aspiring menswear designers a presence at Fashion Week. Feature continues
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The insanely creative Carri Munden (she spells it Mundane; you get the picture) sent what was the most intoxicatingly crazy collection of the week so far. No, these clothes weren’t wearable (apart from her graphic print neon T-shirts which work well with jeans and limited edition Nike Air Max trainers), far from it. But they sure did capture a colourful, eclectic movement that is working its way through underground fashion circles right now. Like her good mate Gareth Pugh, Munden is one of the few designers to express herself without worrying about the pesky annoyances of making pots of cash (although she has garnered a cult following in Japan). And good, why should she be commercial? There are plenty of other designers – Giorgio Armani, Paul Smith, Nicole Farhi - doing that. Bold, brash youngsters like Munden and Pugh are what makes London Fashion Week the dynamic, delightfully unpredictable, mish-mash of nuttiness it is.
Insane ideas that make the girls at Vogue twitch aside, there were seriously beautiful clothes to be found at LFW this time around, too. The week, which culminated with Welsh king of style Julien Macdonald and his usual helping of high-octane glamour, PETA fur protestors and, new this year, a ridiculous organization handing out biscuits saying ‘fashion and food DO mix,’ (oh, DO shut up!) has been a roaring success, on the whole. Amid the 80-plus shows, we saw debut presentations for some seriously talented young designers who have a knack of merging wearability with exquisite design and fresh ideas. Christopher Kane is one such designer who did so with his slim, body-skimming dresses in electric colours; Danielle Scutt, too, with her bold new clothes for the modern working women and fellow Fashion East designer Louise Goldin, with her impeccable knits, including spidery knitted leggings and micro-dresses.
Deryck Walker at Fashion East's MAN
Then there were those strong London labels that have already made a name for themselves and are continuing to grow. Add Roksanda Ilincic, Richard Nicoll, Basso & Brooke, Marios Schwab, Gardem and PPQ to that list. These are designers in their third, fourth, fifth or so season, who are slowly but surely putting London back on the international fashion map.
A quick scan of recent London designers who have departed and excelled: Karen Walker who just showed in New York to rave reviews; Sophia Kokosalaki, who shows her own label in Milan and is designing a range for esteemed old French fashion house Vionnet and Camilla Staek, who also just showed in New York to acclaim, prove that this city hatches new talent with spectacular success. And long may it continue to do so. 'London is being celebrated as a vital source of brave and bold new designers right now,' says Lulu Kennedy, founder of Fashion East, which has just celebrated its 10th season. 'A sizeable group has formed over recent seasons of young but very accomplished designers whom press and buyers are really getting behind, which is great news. London has held its nerve through some bleak times and now has lots to be proud of and shout about.'- Add your comment to this feature
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