London Fashion Week celebrated their 40th anniversary this year between Friday 16th – Tuesday 20th February 2024. The show has been bigger and better than ever celebrating some of the hottest designers of the moment. A lot of the designers played with the themes of growing up, youth, life, and birth, in fitting with London Fashion Week itself growing up.
Di Petsa
Greek designer Di Petsa channelled her recent heartbreak into one of the most talked about collections for the week. The collection took inspiration from the designers own Greek Orthadox upbringing and with Greece just finally legalizing same sex marriage, the collection was a fitting display of love.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3iuSGPN3U4/?hl=en
With high profile models like Cindy Kimberly, Duckie and Jessie Jo Stark dripping in bells – the show definitely impressed. The collection encapsulated the overall goddess theme of the Di Petsa brand, with a display of Venus being birthed on the runway mixed with their signature wet look, trompe-l’oeil illusion dresses.
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/fall-2024-ready-to-wear/di-petsa/slideshow/collection#23
Sinead O’Dwyer
Last Season, Irish designer Sinead O’Dwyer hosted her show at her alma matter – The London Royal College of Art MA classroom. The designer chatted with a journalist as her models walked and displayed her pieces. It was a refreshing change for attendees and set excitement for her proceeding shows.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3cakXUtaZ1/?hl=en&img_index=10
This year, the show was hosted at the Old Selfridges hotel, pivoting to a far more central focal point, which was a theme that seemed to extend to the clothes. The designer went back to the brands basics and expressed she focussed her design on body shape, “I design for a diverse body, that’s the thing that drives the brand.” Which we can completely identify with here at VOIR. “From the very beginning of every design, I’m thinking about those body shapes, what sort of garments they might want to wear and how I can interpret things.”
https://wwd.com/runway/fall-2024/london/sinead-odwyer/review/
Simone Rocha
After a jaw dropping display of mature elegance at Paris Haute Couture fashion week, Simone Rocha is riding the wave right into London. The Irish born designer seems to be on an ever-proceeding incline to becoming one of the biggest names in fashion after taking over the Jean Paul Gautier show and receiving praise from the designer himself.
https://www.instagram.com/simonerocha_/?hl=en
Her London Collection took a far more playful, childlike approach with models carrying stuffed animal toys as accessories. She also took the opportunity to announce yet another Rocha x Crocs collaboration, which worked perfectly with the youthful vibe of the collection.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3kaYXZMBwf/?hl=en&img_index=1
JW Anderson
JW Anderson put a charming womenswear spin on the eclectic Grandpa trend that’s been circulating for the last few months. They did this by utilising chunky knits, thick wool coats, tweed, English style under garments and lots of slippers.
https://www.instagram.com/jw_anderson/?hl=en
Anderson cited Last of the Summer Wine, a British sit com based around old age pensioners in Yorkshire, as one of his key inspirations. He captured this Northern aesthetic perfectly and the collection offered itself as a comfortable slice of British nostalgia.
https://www.instagram.com/jw_anderson/?hl=en
Dilara Findikoglu
Turkish-british Dilara Fındıkoğlu has become one of the most anticipated collections, not down to but aided by her recent success dressing Margot Robbie for the Barbie premiere after party. The designer chose to host her show in a church, which she sees as a “safe space”.
https://www.instagram.com/dilarafindikoglu/?hl=en
The much-awaited collection consisted of corsets, bodices, bright reds and deconstructed under garments. The idea behind the collection was to “destroy the corporate man “and rebel against male-built society. “I am really into the female form and as a female designer, I just need to celebrate the body,” Fındıkoğlu was reported saying.
https://www.instagram.com/dilarafindikoglu/?hl=en
Dreaming Eli
Dreaming Eli is one of the designers to watch, founded by the incredibly talented Elisa Trombatore, who graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2021 with an MA in Fashion. The brand aims to empower women and fight against stereotypes through it’s designs, encouraging power in femininity as well as balancing it with power and danger.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3fDK4vt3EZ/?hl=en&img_index=1
Her SS24 collection was titled “Wild Hearts Bleed” and the entire collection encapsulates her the strength and beauty of femininity. The designer achieved this by using boned corsets with hard structured silhouettes, and pairing them with soft colours and delicate fabrics.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C3kjwYyI9Oj/?hl=en&img_index=6
Written By Lauren Dickson
