London Calling: What To Look Forward to LFW A/W 23
From fashion blasts from the past through to the brightest new talents to watch, here's your seasonal guide to this February's co-ed London schedule.
From fashion blasts from the past through to the brightest new talents to watch, here's your seasonal guide to this February's co-ed London schedule.
MAKE DO AND MEND
London has always been known for its DIY fashion approach, as the birthplace of Punk and the late Queen herself, Vivienne Westwood. This A/W 23 co-ed season, a host of designers will be taking up the mantle and lighting the way for how the industry can make do and mend on its world-burning effects. Ancuta Sarca, Matty Bovan, Robyn Lynch, Conner Ives (Friday 17 February), Paolo Carzana (Sunday 19 February) and Noki (Monday 20 February) are a handful of the highlights to look out for.
Romanian designer Ancuta Sarca has been showing the accessories realm how to follow in her footsteps, quite literally, with upcycled trainers made into kitten heels and boots for all the fashion girlies - including Ms Cher herself. A sense of craft and the human touch will be central to Matty Bovan's collection Deep Space Nymphs, created almost entirely from deadstock fabrics, and also for Sarabande Foundation resident Paolo Carzana's hand-made creations.
Landing in London for another season is the American Ives, who uses found t-shirts to make viral dresses. Making his name when model Adwoa Aboah wore a the Central Saint Martins graduate to the 2017 Met Gala, Ives remains the talk of the town.
KNEES UP!
The Brits are known for having a good time, with many hero designers born from the city's club culture, but also out of talent incubator Fashion East. This season alumna Mowalola Ogunlesi is returning to the capital after a season in Paris, presenting A/W 23 on Saturday night. Since launching their label in 2018, Mowalola has gone from strength to strength, presenting an exhibition at NOWGallery in 2019 exploring the psychedelic ties between their high voltage designs and love of music, to a collaboration with Bratz dolls earlier this year.
Jonathan Anderson, who passed through the doors of Lulu Kennedy's Fashion East in its early days, is also returning to the label's home for a show at the Roundhouse. Again, expect the unexpected where JW Anderson is concerned, whether that be a pigeon clutch bag or, in the case of this season, a collaboration with the Michael Clark Company of dance - penis motifs included.
This February, Karoline Vitto and Standing Ground return for their second season as part of Fashion East, joined by sportswear wunderkind Johanna Parv - who previously worked with SHOWstudio on a fashion film that saw cyclists traverse the Big Smoke. ‘There shouldn’t just be one aesthetic that comes from London’, Standing Ground designer Michael Stewart recently told SHOWstudio's Joshua Graham. ‘I want to do made-to-measure. At the end of the day I want to cut from scratch to someone's body and really consider their proportions. You have to cut beautifully for everyone.' Together with Vitto's couture-like designs made for a more inclusive female body size, Fashion East continues to drive fashion forward.
BURBERRY BRIT
Old Blighty's most renowned heritage brand Burberry is getting a face lift this season, thanks to Daniel Lee's debut as creative director. Unveiling a new logo inspired by the archives earlier this month, the 1901 Equestrian Knight Design in cobalt blue, Lee's first Burberry campaign by Tyrone Lebon featuring musicians Shygirl and Skepta along with the OG Burberry model Liberty Ross, footballer Raheem Sterling and others, wipes the slate clean post-Riccardo Tisci. Having shown his knack for making a fashion archive into a modern phenomenon at Bottega Veneta, Lee has the eyes of the industry on him for the show on Monday 20 February. Stay tuned for SHOWstudio's Burberry Live Panel Discussion on Tuesday 21 February, 11:30 GMT hosted by Emily Zak.
