LFW SS15: Ones to Watch

In the words of notorious Vogue ice maiden, Anna Wintour, “Fashion’s not about looking back. It’s always about looking forward”, and it is with that spirit that London Fashion Week not only honours the veterans but shines a spotlight on the stars of the near future and the rising talent to keep your immaculately kohled beady eye on, otherwise known as the ‘Ones to Watch’ presentation.

In today’s show, Youjia Jin was first up; A Chinese born, London based designer fresh from graduating at the London College of Fashion who, much like Jamie Wei Huang, had two definitive sides to her collection. One half erred more on a traditionally masculine tone, with black fitted suits, dark blouses, sharp hair and minimal fuss while the other half had a sense of feminine fluidity in pleats and open sleeves, deconstructing the idea of the ‘power suit’ in a smart and sleek way.

Next to show was Min Wu whose designs were characteristically playful. Perhaps keeping more focus on appealing to the everyday woman this time around, Wu still retained a sense of fun and wonder. Toying with fabrics and dimensions and playing with sheer and opaque across a varied colour palette that flicked from pastels to pinstripes, Wu challenges the expectations of what theoretically works and is emerging as real fashion player. With an almost childlike sense of wonder around her designs, she continues to intrigue.

Cassandra Verity Green’s collection, meanwhile, was a total riot of colour and fabric. Neons, pastels, garish wigs, graphic prints, furs and reflective fabrics made up a show that was tremendously bold and uniquely, unapologetically niche, coherent in its divisive nature at the very least. Undeterred by concerns about boring old practicality, the collection was an extension of the bravely idiosyncratic style that Green has established and on her terms, ridicule is nothing to be scared of.

Keiko Nishiyama was soundtracked by jungle inspired music, which provided the perfect background to this busy, tropical collection. In keeping with her horticultural inspired designs, this time she had evolved from English country garden prints into ornate cartoonish leaf-print ensembles that were unexpectedly accomplished, smattered with intricate sequin detailing that added to the sheer pretty power of it all. Shameless in its loveliness and for that we applaud her.

(Written by me for HoP Magazine | Images from Zimbio)