The actual showroom itself was a giant, bright and airy space showcasing around 15 up and coming British designers and their new collections. It was a really chilled and relaxed environment that provided a great opportunity to not only take your time to have a proper look at each piece (is it just me who like to touch every piece of clothing they walk past? especially velvet- the dream!) but also to chat to the designers themselves about the inspiration behind their collections, and their favourite pieces. There were definitely some stand out collections in the room and I've included some pictures of my favourites below!
All i'm going to say is that as soon as I saw that pink faux-fur bomber jacket, I was obsessed. The ruffles, the florals, the updated twist on the classic tea dress. Everything about this collection just echos the bustling China he was born in. I love that these designs are so fun and bold with a clear nod to pop culture and kitsch. He also taught himself how to knit from youtube tutorials so is clearly a DIY king, which is pretty badass if you ask me. When asked by Vogue who his style icons were he of course mentioned the Sex and the city girls, and his ideal scent would be a mix of florals, bunnies and sugar-sweet manga sugar plum faires in case you didn't already love him.
Marta was the sweetest. Her collection was all
about showcasing bold, bright looks for strong women and the colour palette was
definitely eye catching; bright blocky colours in oranges, yellows, purples and
reds.There was an orange puffer jacket that was amazing, and a bright fuchsia jumpsuit that looked like the coolest thing ever, showing her ability to mix tailored shapes with a more playful colour palette.
Possibly one of my favourite designers at the showroom because her pieces were just so gorgeously detailed. With inspiration taken from the 1940's and her print and embroidery experience under Oliver Rousteing of Balmain's wing, it is clear that she is more than experienced with playing around with colours and textures. Her pieces are sponsored by Swarovski crystal, and really added an element of glamour to her otherwise earthy collection. The colours were more toned down through her choice of cooler tones such as moss green, camel and salmon pink, but these colours only worked to emphasise the quirkiness of her embellishments, slogans and embroidery.
Need these boots in my life.
Mimi's collection again was one of my favourite. It was such a nod to 90's and early 2000's style- think satin slip dresses, baby pinks, clashing print and eyelash-lace trim. The quirky pink panther embellishment decal was such a cute feature on her pieces, and I desperately want that white lace trimmed t-shirt.
Nabil’s collection was definitely one of
the most interesting to learn about. I ended up speaking to Nabil’s business
manager Jennifer Davies who was not only extremely lovely, but managed to talk
us through the design process and his inspirations, which added a nice personal
element to his collection. Nabil grew up in Aleppo, Syria, where his father
worked in a textile factory. Growing up surrounded by so many materials played
an important part in his desire to create, and he still uses the materials his
father would sell in his pieces today. This collection was part four of a
larger collection, titled ‘Elizabethan Sportswear Part IV, fusing classical Elizabethan garment structures with more modern sporting fabrics such
as perforated neoprene to add a conflicting, but exciting aesthetic. The
collection favoured a monochrome colour palette, but made up for its lack of
colour with its bold and charismatic shapes. The print of the fabric
incorporated elements of a painting of Queen Elizabeth titled ‘The Rainbow
Portrait’ from the 1600s and interestingly, the exact fabric from
the dress she was wearing has recently been discovered and put on display in
Hampton Court. It was such an interesting concept to learn about, and Nabil is definitely one to watch- Even Karl Lagerfeld thinks so!
This
collection was an experiment in the human body’s relationship to fabric and
textile. He used a single mould to create his iconic rubber shoes, and the
plastic used was the closest material to that used in plastic surgery on
humans. I got to peek at some of his sketches for his next collection (hats off for the forward planning) which was really great.
A little bit in love with these wide-legged burgundy trousers.
The prints are inspired by the decadence of garments worn by royalty, so the colours were really rich in jewel tones and metallics.
Richard Malone
Caine London
And now for my favourite designer of the day- Caine London. established in 2015 by Matt Allchin and Hayley Caine who create amazing reworked items representative of the London they grew up in. I got to chat for a while to Matt- who told me that this collection was inspired by London’s east end, and featured motif’s, animals and embellishments inspired by cockney rhyming slang, such as ‘Apple and Pears’ (stairs) and ‘monkey’ (£500). One of the jackets featured a ‘Big hairy spider’ and was inspired By Matt’s childhood growing up near an east end market. He told me that he would often hear a man selling ‘Big Hairy Spiders’ in the market eastenders style, and the image conjured up in his mind is now beautifully immortalized on this jumper.
Also this really reminds me of my dog and we bonded over our love for German Sheppards...
Most of the designs are either hand-painted or embroidered on to the denim, and the quality and detail is incredible.
Jess x
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