So that is day one complete of the first-ever digital London Fashion Week and it’s fair to say we have been amazed. Yes, the catwalk has gone, (COVID-19, we’re looking at you) but it did not stop the LFW festivities. Well, put it like this, to say we were spoilt rotten is an understatement!
Well, here you have it. A round-up on all the events, coming to you straight from the comfort of your sofa. Earlier in the year, the British Fashion Council announced that its biannual London Fashion Week Men’s would make history by becoming a digital-only and gender-neutral mix of both men’s and women’s wear.
Today we experienced a jam-packed day of all kinds of multi-media content including virtual showrooms, interviews, mini-films and podcasts to bring the fashion, culture and technology worlds together. Giving the chance for designers to share their experiences and thoughts over the last few months. James Massiah: Clio Corset To kick things off James Massiah, spoken word artist, opened up LFW with a poem to reminisce on the manic few months we’ve all been through and to get us excited for the future. “Looking forward to a lot of things when this thing is done. Bless those that I know I won’t see in the summer sun”, he said. In the two-minute poem he also made reference to the current BLM protests in response to the death of George Floyd in saying “Couple statutes in the sea, and then some statutes they got wrong and when that’s all said and done, let’s throw a party or two.” If one thing is for sure, he gave us a boost of optimism for romance, partying and hope for the rest of the year to come. What a way to kick off the show. Check out the full video Nicholas Daley: ‘The Abstract Truth Film’Showing off his Fall 2020 Menswear, Nicolas Daley really has a knack for leaving you speechless. And boy he did just that. His real panache for fashion combined with his taste in music gave us a live performance to kick start the show with three young musicians- Rago Foot, Kwake Bass and Wu-Lu- experimenting with jazz with psychedelic rock. The energy was second to none. Daley’s collection took inspiration from the 1970s, black abstract art movement and Afrofuturism with a line featuring kaki kimonos, layered tartan jackets and 70’s shades. We really didn’t know where to look but were quite amazed. Check out our favourite pieces from the collection here Lou Dalton English menswear fashion designer, Lou Dalton was joined on a Zoom chat by Gordon Richardson (designer and co-founder of LFW Men’s), Stewart Williamson (stylist of Lou Dalton) and Mark Neville (photographer) to discuss her latest collection and her lockdown motivations.
Lou’s LMFW AW202 collection is summed up by her as “quiet noise”. Her clothing is described as contemporary yet timeless. The simplicity to her designs are eye-catching but versatile to wear as experiments with layers, tweedy jackets double-faced wool and checked patterns. Now that’s officially stepping into Autumn. Check out the collection here Ahluwalia ‘Jalebi’ Moving swiftly on, we were taken to ‘Jalebi’, Priya Ahluwalia’s 3D VR photography exhibition and name of the designer’s latest book. For AW20, Priya designed a 360-degree exhibition, photographed by Laurence Ellis, which explored what it’s like to be a young, mixed heritage person living in Britain in 1965. It allowed us to see through Ahluwalia’s eyes to understand her experiences of visiting Southall, Britain’s first Punjabi community. See some of our favourite pieces from the exhibition hereWhy Are We Compelled to Create? We don’t want to give anything away. But we were absolutely inspired listening to the voices of designers and creators talk about what London Fashion Week means to them. With designer Matteo Bigliardi simply and rightly putting it: “it’s all about freedom of expression, and freedom to create.” They also spoke up to share how they’re making their mark on the world; whether that be supporting efforts in sustainability, refugees or diversity. This event really was a much-needed breath of fresh air and optimism. Take a listen for yourself University of Westminster 2020 MA Menswear For this LFW this year’s graduates ‘show an eclectic mix of influences and approaches to the discipline of menswear.’ The pieces channelled everything from spacesuit vibes to full-on glitz and glamour to detailed and colourful patchworking. They really explored different dynamics of menswear fashion and we were not left disappointed. A real exciting sight for the eyes. Check out our favourite pieces from their collection here Robyn Lynch supported by Rapha We all got a little bit emotional watching Robyn Lynch’s ‘time capsule’ home movie, which documents how life has changed since the COVID-19 lockdown, definitely something to show your grandchildren. “As a nation, our physical health has been attacked, our mental health eroded, our economy battered, and our society put to the ultimate test.” She recognised the struggle but was very quick to acknowledge the good in how times like these can be used to our advantage. The short film documents the making of her latest 7 look collection. Head to Lynch’s website to check out the collection. DANIEL w. FLETCHERWe joined in with an Instagram live with fashion designer and Menswear Artistic Director for Fiorucci, Daniel Fletcher who spoke to British Vogues Miss Vogue Editor Naomi Pike about his new AW20 collection and what’s up next for him in fashion. In his latest collection, Fletcher really came through with the pastels, panelling, clean tailoring and a lot of flares. You really think fashion-forward with this collection and we are all for it. Take a look and shop the collection here. Chalayan Cyprus born fashion designer Hussein Chalayan is best known for his uses of film, installations, dance and forms. But his latest collection featured a mix of quilt, monochrome and simplistic printed pieces. The collection still featured classic Chalayan signature looks including strapping and heavy shouldered coats and jackets. He really experimented with block colours and contrasts. Certainly a bold collection. Here are some of our favourite looks. And the day doesn’t end there. Upcoming we’ve got conversations with Fashion Director Bruce Pask, a chat with gentleman blogger and creative consultant Matthew Zorpas and ending the day in a discussion with ICEBERG and River Island. It’s been a lot of fun but not to worry. There are still two more fashion packed days of conversations with designers and collection releases to come. Words Clare Stephenson
