This year’s Central Saint Martins MA fashion show delivered on the school’s reputation for eye-catching design — with everything from macabre Trump stilettos to a piercing 1-metre-long conical bra.
After two years of intense experimentation, under the guidance of course director Fabio Piras, 19 students of menswear, womenswear and textiles showcased their graduate collections in a spectacle that had the London Fashion Week crowd “literally s-c-r-e-a-m-i-n-g”.
It may be “just” a student show, but Central Saint Martins‘ MA show commands the respect of fashion editors and buyers from across the globe — all of whom are eager to spot the next Alexander McQueen, Phoebe Philo or John Galliano (former alumni of the university). For most graduates, this was make or break, and given the opportunity to show their work on the world stage, they certainly didn’t hold back. The audience at The Store Studios instantly grabbed for their phones, populating their Instagram feeds pig head shoes, ghostly headdresses and bodycon condom dresses. Beyond the maximalist showpieces, there were visual tricks, new forms of power dressing and unexpected use of textures to get stuck into. Sleek took a front row seat in order to catch the best in show. Here we highlight the most exciting talent to watch out for.
EDWIN MOHNEY
Edwin Mohney’s collection felt like spring break on acid. An inflatable swimming pool necklace floated down the catwalk; rubber Donald Trump face masks were fashioned into heels (which have since been christened Trumpettos); and a larger-than-life pink baby pacifier walked itself down the catwalk.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfSndYQH1YI/?taken-by=mafcsm
The designer, born in Buffalo, New York, made clever use of found materials throughout, from duct tape and blood red mosquito nets, to wigs sprayed in RGB colours (that seemed to reference the 2016 “killer clown” craze). In fact many couture-style pieces, such as a “baby ghost mountain mattress dress cape”, were sourced directly from Amazon Prime, creating what felt like a real as fuck take on contemporary Americana. “This high low clash was about developing a new idea of what couture means to Millennials using contemporary culture,” Mohney told Sleek.
LIAM JOHNSON
Liam Johnson opened the CSM MA show with an optical illusion. While most digital onlookers will see a simple matte black dress photographed head-on, those sat 90 degrees to the right or left of photographers at the show witnessed a fierce spike-like conical shape protrude from the model’s torso.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfW6_UuAMwF/?tagged=liamjohnson
The Welsh-born designer was intent on reducing everything to its truest form. Strong geometric shapes and primary colours dominated. One model walked out carrying a huge chroma green cube cut from foam, while another floated down the catwalk in a hand-sewn cylindrical blue dress. “I wanted to create a new visual language by elevating cheap materials into beautiful pieces that provoked a feeling in the viewer,” Johnson tells Sleek. “The intention was to create a collection that was honest and direct.”
PAULA CANOVAS DEL VAS
How do you express your power as a woman? This question was central for Paula Canovas del Vas, who created her graduate collection out of sense of frustration with womenswear on the catwalk and high street. The Spanish designer threw out stereotypical references to menswear dress codes, and avoided cliche “hot” or “frigid” looks. In fact, most of her models simply donned a fierce short bobbed curly wig — that was meant as a sly wink to Cindy Sherman.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BfYD-9ODmtJ/?taken-by=paulacolada
Bright felt jackets were constructed like armour, with gigantic shoulders that could knock a fuccboi dead, while bold PVC trousers — in everything from fluoro pink to space grey — projected a vision of femininity as hot, confident, sexy, and elegant. Embossed and debossed floral motifs were also reframed as symbols of power to be worn with pride, rather than decor reduced to an aesthetic pattern. “I did not want to compromise,” explains Paula Canovas Del Vas. ‘I wanted liberating looks that were unapologetic. Too often people hesitate doing a look that is “too short”, ‘too girly’ or ‘too much’.”