London Renewed
How London Sees The Future of Fashion
by Juan Lopez
London Fashion Week showed off a more mature and conscientious side during its 40th Anniversary celebration from Sept 13 to the 17th. With many similarities to looks seen during New York Fashion Week, London took the trends of spring and summer—fringes, ruffles, sheers, cutouts, and wider silhouettes—into its own hands.
Brandon Maxwell
Fringe is in this season: Tassels and frayed edges showed themselves in practically every collection this year, particularly with designers Brandon Maxwell and Simone Rocha. Drawing strong inspiration from 90s minimalism, Maxwell stated he wanted his collection to call back to a time that fostered “a sense of nonchalance.”
While many of his pieces depict fringe alongside breezy seaside days, they were also used in more experimental ways. In Rocha’s collection, she plays with silhouettes to create a sense of controlled chaos.
Photo Courtesy of Jeff Spicer
The more than 150-year-old Burberry and the young namesake brand of Loewe designer Jonathan Anderson, JW Anderson, expanded on common beliefs of “London Tailoring” in their latest collections—albeit in starkly different ways. Whether it focused on workwear or more historical pieces, Burberry stuck to its core aesthetic, with many of its clothes referencing the brand's famous Trench Coat. Their infamous checkered pattern was used more sparingly than in their previous collections. Chief Creative Office of Burberry Daniel Lee developed the 70-inspired collection, which came together to offer strong and effortlessly English pieces.
Photo Courtesy of Filippo Fior
On the contrary, JW Anderson took great pride in engaging with the common motifs of London’s symbolic style. Bringing elegance to a playful collection of glitter, leather, and silk, Anderson manipulated the silhouettes of more classic pieces to make something otherworldly. From skirts thrice as wide as their wearer to sweaters cut up into exaggeratedly large strips of fabric, Anderson’s confidence in design is on full display in this almost whimsical presentation of his talent, as well as his ability to make even the most impractical seem worthwhile for daily wear.
Photo Courtesy of Filippo Fior
It wouldn’t be London without some impeccable tailoring, and brands like JW Anderson and Burberry certainly deliver. Meanwhile, the young and contemporary womenswear brand Tove, led by designers Holly Wright and Camille Perry, blends that staple element with the growing trend of sheers and cutouts. Particularly, Tove revitalizes the usage of sheer by implementing and stylizing it into pieces with the intention that they can be worn in any occasion, such as in long draping shirts or in sundresses. With only 34 looks for the whole show, designers Holly Wright and Camille Perry made sure to tailor their pieces to the modern-day woman who could find refinement and elegance in a “precise but imperfect” way by combining classic “dry British humor” with unprecedented levels of charisma.
Photo Courtesy of Chris Yates
A final recurring trend throughout London Fashion Week was thrifted pieces. Both Oxfam and eBay’s first-ever show display the fashionability of pre-loved clothes and the art of thrifting. Highlighting the importance of buying second hand as a call for sustainable practices to aid the health of the planet, Oxfam and their partner, Vinted, used both pre-owned pieces and reused fabrics to put together their show. In partnership with the British Fashion Council, eBay highlighted historical pieces of London's history with pieces such as vintage Vivienne Westwood dresses and Chopova Lowena’s iconic kilt-like skirt. This newfound emphasis on thrifted fashion celebrates the heritage of London fashion while highlighting the importance of the industry growing more conscientious about sustainability.
After 40 years, London Fashion Week has undoubtedly solidified itself as one of the leading fashion capitals in the world. Valuing tradition while combining new innovations in ways that no one else around the world does, the talented designers in London took this chance to celebrate their past contributions to fashion while setting a promising future for what is to come.