London Fashion Week took place from September 16th to September 20th 2022. Over the four days the Hybrid event was hosted up and down London as well as online, streamed through the London Fashion Week website londonfashionweek.co.uk. This functional use of digital elements allowed the public to have access to catwalk shows, presentations, appointments, and other LFW events that took place. Now that the shows have come to an end and we go onto the other fashion weeks such as Milan and Paris. Let's take a look back at some of the highlights from the London events that you may have missed.
1. Daniel W Fletcher
Opening up the show, Daniel W Fletcher paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II with all black morning suits.
Fletcher's collection for the runway was focused on paying homage to past and present eras of tailors from London such as the Savile Row tailors and the King’s Road punks. This was an important address for the punk movement in the 70s where designers such as Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren opened shops. This collection also included the mixing of elements such as corsets and pajama shirts with classic suiting. This collection was created with the full thought of sustainability behind it, with materials sourced from Nona Source, who are an online resale platform which re-values deadstock fabrics and leathers.
2. Fashion East
Photograph: Chris Yates/ Daniele Oberrauch / Gorunway.com
Karoline Vitto, the Brazilian born collection designer, focused on the overlooked elements of female fashion by creating a size inclusive collection which included sizes 8 to 28. Alongside this, Designer Jawara Alleyne took us on a tropical trip to the Caribbean islands, with the use of energetic music to match. Her collection used deadstock materials to create light pieces similar to those of the Jamaican Port Antonio shore. Both designers used elements from the latest trend such as cutout, thin spaghetti straps and large metal appliqués.
3. Poster Girl
Photograph: Ki Price/WireImage/Getty Images
The Poster Girl's collection for SS23 was highly focused on nostalgia and changing the stigmatism around the brand's famous “Poster Girl dress” which has been worn by celebrities such as Jordyn Woods. This runway collection featured exaggerated elements such as buckles and diamanté chain with links back to early 2000 fashion trends. These components were paired with low-line belts and lower-rise trousers, which as we all know are currently trending. The extravagant pieces were matched with complementary silk ruffled tops and loose chiffon dresses finished with the brand’s classic heart buttons. The brand's followers will also be happy to know that their iconic shapewear dress is now fully sustainable.
4. Simone Rocha
At last year's show designer Simone Rocha experimented with menswear and her sellout H&M collection.
This time round, at the Old Bailey, she used mixtures of contemporary and rustic elements. This was created with the use of frill detailing across women’s and men’s wear. Oversized bomber jackets have mad a return and petticoat frills were displayed on both skirts and veils, which were the main were the main theme for the runway. Rocha’s designs have not conformed to the traditions of runway fashion, her creativity and innovative designs have set her apart from the rest of the runway.
Overall, it is evident that this year's London Fashion Week has given us a fantastic lineup of fashion trends for next year's spring and summer. It was delightful to see how all the brands, who presented their collections, used their creative initiative in order to bring runway fashion to life. I am sure we can all agree that we are looking forward to the upcoming show and those set to take place in January and February of 2023.