London Fashion Week was back this month and as always brought both established brands and the bright young things of the future to the world stage. London Fashion Week is the place to discover the stars of the future, to be blown away by creativity and to see some seriously amazing fashion. If you’ve missed this month’s shows, here are the things you need to know.
Debut of Ahluwalia
From Bollywood to Nollywood, Ahluwalia’s inspiration comes from far and wide. The first runway show from the designer featured a cast of black and brown models. The designer wrote on Instagram: “For me, representation is vital for the self-esteem of Black and Brown people and I aim to help progress this with all of the work I do, both on the runway and behind the scenes.”
The clothes were also divine, from crop tops and minis to flared trousers and menswear pieces. The future of fashion is here.
High drama at Richard Quinn
We always expect big things from the designer with a penchant for theatrics and his latest LFW show didn’t disappoint.
Bondage, latex, corsets, prints galore and hats stole the show. Special mention to the oversized hats with cut-out eyes so the wearer can still see where she’s going. Richard seems to think of everything.
A new collab at Roksanda
Colours, colours everywhere. That was to be expected from Roksanda, but what may have come as a surprise was the Fila’s logo making an appearance.
So Roksanda is now making sportswear and we now cannot wait for next winter and puffer jacket season.
Raving at Sports Banger
“Lifestyles of the poor, rich & famous” is what Sports Banger is all about, and to present his latest collection Jonny Banger threw a party the likes of which had not been seen in a while.
The rave that was Sports Banger’s show was titled The People Deserve Beauty and everyone agreed, it was a hit.
Counterfeit Chanel curtains and toilet seat covers, whistles made into a dress, a cystic fibrosis sufferer acting as Queen of Tottenham… Sports Banger reminded everyone fashion is supposed to be fun and a show is just a party.
Celeb-backed Nensi Dojaka
You may not know her but Zendaya, Emily Ratajkowski and Bella Hadid certainly do.
Nensi Dojaka is the celeb-backed designer taking London by storm and she already has a LVMH Prize and a British Fashion Council’s Foundation Award under her belt. Her show was full of going out dresses we cannot wait to wear to a club as soon as we can get our hands on them.
The return of Ozwald Boateng
Ozwald is a trailblazer – the first black designer to open a store on Savile Row and the youngest ever to do so. For his return to the runway after a 12-year absence, Ozwald celebrated black creativity. The designer told the Evening Standard before the show: “What does Black culture mean here in the UK?” To help him answer the question, he said: “I am looking at all the iconic faces we know. From Idris [Elba] to Naomi [Campbell] to Steve McQueen, Stormzy, Dave, Anthony Joshua — I could keep going.”
The show was full of famous faces, a gospel choir and 100 looks. A celebration of UK Black culture, perfect tailoring and jewel colours galore made us seriously glad Ozwald is back at LFW.
