The Fashion Show Live Event 2022

Fashion Show Live 2022

To celebrate the launch of London Fashion Week, Fashion Show Live presented an eclectic mix of exciting designers in the beautiful setting of Saint Mary Magdalene Church on the Grand Union Canal near the famous Warwick Avenue.

This beautiful ethereal setting in the neo-gothic building only served to add to the atmosphere and buzz of the show.  With full capacity, a wide variety of emerging young brands from all walks of life made some bold statements about their values and ethics.

Read – London Fashion Week A/W22 Roundup

Fashion Show Live

The Fashion Show live was full of diversity on all levels and its choice of edgy styling and politically ethical direction. The show was not without high feminine glamour and Athea Couture paraded an opulent array of evening gowns that would grace any proms. The hand-positioned glittering embellishments were dazzling. 

Francesa Phipps, a BA Honours Graduate also presented a collection of beautifully draped occasion dresses in bursts of colour-blocked designs. The pieces were free-flowing, luxurious in floating silky fabrics that were cut into sexy, romantic gowns – delicately serenading the elegance of the female form. 

The models of the show were eye-catching too, not least was Micheala Knight. One to watch with her extremely long and striking hair that gave a fashion context to all of the pieces that she wore and set the cameras off in a frenzy of adoring flashes.

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Read – LFW: Trend Forecasting with Hairstylist Rebecca Dickenson

Fashion Show Live Showcase

Bodawear

An environmentally conscious sustainable brand made a stir with its collection that paraded its ethical stance on zero waste and the need to face the tragedy of plastic pollution in our oceans. Recycled and up-cycled textiles were artistically constructed to give a very Avant garden look. The London-based designer Rubyelizia created her brand just a few years ago.

The collection had an impact with its coloured bespoke textile creations made from sublimation/heat press printing and surface manipulation that portrayed the impression of a sea full of discarded consumer waste. Constructed artistically into fashion pieces that were bold statements for the need to face and tackle the ever-growing problem.

M Collection Saint Tropez

Staying with sustainability and recycling, Mia Lucas showcased her M Collection Saint Tropez. She only started her fashion business in 2021. Offering handbags and a rare edition of hats and belts, the brand responsibly sources the materials previously used by the most famous couture houses. This collection is about chic, classical and timeless pieces [everything we love]. Each bag is unique with art inserted inside and all handmade in Saint Tropez.

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SZCZYGIEL

Reinforcing the ethical theme, SZCZYGIEL, a modern and sustainable clothing brand which designs by up-cycling, reconstructing and redesigning old vintage garments, presented a collection of streetwear and high fashion, all with a futuristic theme.

The brand is produced in London and Poland. The interesting combination of fabrics and added statements of power dressing – not just padded shoulders but padded accessories attached to garments, made this collection stand out. Being different was something the brand is all about. A current theme running in today’s society that applauds diversity, this range is set to turn heads.

ENNO

Nigerian designer – Eno Enieokpon‘s story began in Belarus. The designer moved to Ukraine in 2017 after he won a fashion contest in Minsk. Where he was invited to study in Kyiv. After 3 years in his new adopted city, the first showroom was opened. He realised Europeans liked his brand.

His love of heavy cotton was evident at the show and black top-stitched garments with bold stylish gold branding were unapologetically part of the collection. Normal is boring was touted on sweat tops and T-shirts. His brand is anything but boring.

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Arsene Hako

Arsene Hako another young designer from Cameroon has also moved to Europe. His collection of camouflaged suits was eye-catching and his statements about stopping war were evident in the text on T-shirts coupled with heavily paint-splattered jeans – a statement that transcends the chaos that war brings perhaps.

His early struggles with schooling in Africa led him to turn to set up his own Youtube channel where he soon realised he needed to dress the part. From humble roots, his only option was to make his own clothes which was the birth of his fashion career. The fashion label ‘Arsene Hako’ is meant to show that ‘ it is possible to achieve great things, even if no one believes in you.’

Read – The Incredible André Leon Talley 1948 – 2022

Anderson Rodriguez

Guiné Bissau-born Anderson Rodriguez has also had a diverse upbringing. He created his brand in 2017, launching his first collection called “MINHA VEZ”, and has styled and designed clothes for top models, international artists and television hosts. The brand has already showcased six collections since starting out. Rodriguez, in 2019 won the Best Male Stylist in his home country.

He expresses through his clothes, ‘the strength, freedom and courage of Guinean woman today’ compared to that of historical times. His use of opulent brightly coloured brocade in modern short dresses trailing a long 6-foot train was a striking showpiece.

Kwame Koranteng

But the finale was given to much deserving Kwame Koranteng who creates unique handmade suits and tailoring for men and women. A slightly more established brand, specialising in bespoke suits since 2009, Koranteng is devoted to bringing flair and style with a quirky if not slightly dandy look, particularly in the menswear which was showcased with an equally impressive piece of matching womenswear. 

The colourful collection of pastels in signature prints and plains was teamed with unique accessories to create stylish statements that were individual. The brand works with careful precision and no automation cutting, assembling all the suits by hand.

This is evident when looking at the sheer level of quality achieved in the collection’s construction which is a hallmark of the brand. Exquisite modern tailoring for the more daring consumer who wants to set themselves apart from the crowd is a mission accomplished by this season’s collection yet again.

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Author: Vicky Hatia