Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
This season, our fashion week kicked off with Stefan Cooke – one of the most exciting designers in London right now. Opened by the ending track from Vegyn’s latest album “Headache”, the brand’s SS24 truly was the party that never ends. A refined vision of men’s fashion, the show brought a bold simplicity and high-fashion confidence through careful craftsmanship and subversive silhouettes – from refined tailoring to draped dresses to military medical coats rendered in British Milleraine.
This collection saw a debut collaboration with Mulberry. selection of 27 pre-loved Mulberry bags, one-of-a-kind and sourced from its circularity pro- gramme, The Mulberry Exchange, have been transformed by Mulberry artisans to feature four signature Stefan Cooke motifs. Some are accessorised with vintage rugby shirt tassels, others button straps, silk scarves, while others, as they are, are simply held.
Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
Yuhan Wang’s designs may at first appear delicate, but they are in fact underpinned by a sense of rebellion – highlighting Wang’s vision of the modern woman. For this collection, the designer turned to one of the most resilient heroine’s in literature: Tess from Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. Placing this character within a contemporary context, Wang explores the power of women choosing their own destiny through dress.
Nautical references were weaved throughout the collection with barely there slips featuring paintings of sailing vessels; a gown threaded with sea-shells; and a sailor’s jacket made from Wang’s signature material – lace. Much to the joy of Wang’s loyal customer base, lace found its way through cottagecore-adjacent gowns along with knee high stockings paired with seductive broderie anglaise dresses.
Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
Founded in 2017, KNWLS is a brand that too embodies a destructive vision of femininity – and the SS24 show did just that. Slant-heeled biker boots marched their way through debris, paired with amour-like corsets and moto jackets designed in a way redolent of worn-down painted tarmac. Bleach denim washes and low-rise baggy jeans combined with delicately ribbed knitted vests all a sensual and yet dangerous woman. Couture bled into the collection through highly crafted fully-fringed dresses composed of finely beaded thread to replicate floral patterns.
This season also saw the continuation of the brand’s long-standing partnership with Parisian jewellery label Panconesi. Serpentine hoop earrings and jagged enamelled spikes, draped with trails of jangling metal beads added to KNWLS’s utopic vision of a world ruled by women.
Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
CHOPOVA LOWENA
For SS24, Chopova Lowena brought Cornish coastal folklore to a West London skatepark. Titled a “Girl’s Tear, Girls Tear”, the show was an ode to both Helston’s Flora Day Festival and girlhood. Much like the medieval story, girlhood is a story of angels and devils, peace and war, a mess of ritual and riot – a mess that is celebrated through noisy metal charm trim; corsets that embrace the sensual cusp of adulthood; and seashell underwear that echoed throughout the skatepark. And who else for a young girl to fall in love with than a skater boy? Laced with memories of young love, the brand incorporated baggy shorts and layered graphic tees between the low-slung bubble skirts and hand-crocheted frills.
Bags and footwear debuted the runway this season, a nod to a new chapter for Chopova Lowena. Made in Italy, the bags are designed to assist the wearer throughout the day – with custom notebooks, pens and combs.
Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
Since his LFW debut back in 2022, Carzana has continued to capture and hold the collective vulnerabilities of his generation while simultaneously painting a hopeful vision for the future. His SS24 show, “My Heart Is a River for You to Bend”, was dedicated to the late music producer Sophie and a friend of his mother’s who recently passed away.
Each piece was reminiscent of the hands that touched it before. Recycled fabrics, plant and spice dyes combined with dried-flower headdresses made in collaboration with accessories designer Nasir Mazhar all nodded to a certain bittersweet nostalgia and yet rebirth. In an interview with Vogue, Carza said of the collection:
“I think it’s just the idea of how much, collectively, our hearts have taken in the last couple of years. All the sort of pain and loss that we’ve just had to quickly wash away. But also the feeling that, no matter how hard you’re hit, your heart remains unbroken, but it can be bent. And this pathway is a river bend that can lead to people that support you and save you.”
Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
Set inside the rehearsal space at the English National Ballet, Simone Rocha’s SS24 collection “Dress Rehearsal” was an attempt to break down the barrier between maker and spectator, a chance for audiences to feel closer to the thought and craftsmanship behind the garments. Inspired by the evening before the wedding – literally the dress rehearsal –, fresh roses were embedded between bunched layers of sheer tulle and models carried bouquets fashioned from silk and pearls.
This season saw Simone Rocha’s take on the Croc – with platform soles and chunky diamanté crystals and pearls. We expect these to be the shoe of the season.
Images Courtesy of Vogue Runway.
Mowalola crashed into LFW this season with their SS24 collection which saw more purposefully dirtied clothing and new branding in the style of Umbro’s famed logo. Conjoined looks strutted the runway with twinning track jackets and the viral hug tees attached at the sides, worn by two models – a look for you and your bestie. As ever, Mowalola’s graphic tees came with reimagined logos and the mini-meets-maxi skirt had audiences do a double take. And let’s not forget the thigh-high open foot boot, with an abundance of velcro lining up the leg for no other purpose than a statement– in true Mowalola fashion.