London Fashion Week is known for young shows that create cult pieces, which will later flood Instagram. The city harvests massive talent with its famed design schools that brought legends like Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and John Galliano into our lives. While the shows are always interesting, this week will also be the last season before Brexit next month, so we’re expecting a mixture of overt and subtle commentary. Here are some of the shows we can’t wait for:
Burberry
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In which direction will Riccardo Tisci take Burberry for his sophomore season? In addition to the earthy tones and soft punk accents that Tisci brought to his debut, keep your eyes peeled for political statements in the form of small details here and there — last season Tisci sent models down the catwalk donning EU colored British passports around their necks, and considering Burberry is one of the most — if not the most — iconic British heritage brand, it’s almost its a national duty to address the complex political situation at hand.
Hanger
Sustainability is a buzzword in the fashion industry, but sometimes it feel like a gimmick that puts design in the backseat. Centering the line around latex, which is a renewable material, Hanger uses a sci-fi, futuristic aesthetic to deliver collections that tell a story.
Molly Goddard
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Happy New Year! Offstage, Spring Summer 2019 Look available shortly at @doverstreetmarketlondon
Because somehow the designer behind those tiered tulle confections has become the hottest ticket at LFW in recent years. Beloved of everyone from Rihanna to Adwoa Aboah, Goddard has made feminine frills cool again. As ever, we’ll be gasping at our Instagram feeds in appreciation of fantastic creations.
Supriya Lele
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We can’t wait to see what British-Indian designer Supriya Lele has to offer this season. Having shown for three seasons as part of Fashion East, this will be Lele’s second standalone show at LFW. Expect a subversive use of textile and a playful investigation of femininity with plentiful layers, folds and embellishments that artfully explore her Indian heritage.
Yuhan Wang
Chinese designer Yuyan Wang strives for “Beauty with weirdness, softness, delicacy and sensibility”, and carries that notion into her subversively feminine clothes. Presenting this season as a part of Fashion East, we’re looking forward to the Central Saint Martins’ alum’s complex interpretation of delicacy and prettiness in contemporary clothes.
Wales Bonner
It goes without saying that Grace Wales Bonner is one of the most interesting designers showing at LFW. With her explorative exhibition, A Time for New Dreams, currently ongoing at London’s Serpentine, we can’t way to see what intellectually-rigorous designs Wales Bonner will be presenting this season, no doubt a necessarily inclusive vision of fashion will be served.
Gareth Wrighton
Gareth Wrighton is the newest name to take a place on the exciting Fashion East roster this season. The CSM grad works across mediums, including textiles and tailoring, styling, computer modelling and photography, to explore the conditions of modern garment production in the age of fast fashion and globalisation. We’re anticipating playful garments that push the limits of what clothes can and should be about, possibly with some digital glitchiness in there too.
ASAI
A Fashion East grad, A Sai Ta has been on our radar for a while on account of the way he masterfully blends textures, colours and cultures together. In the past, the British-Chinese-Vietnamese designer’s collections have focused on what it means to be ‘Asian’, but most recently he has investigated a merging of East and West. We are looking forward to sew what sort of bold hybrid he will offer for AW19.