London Fashion Is The Other Star Of April’s Cover Shoot

Shape-shifting creatives Ib Kamara and FKA twigs had been plotting British Vogue’s cover looks for some months before the performer perched atop a black cab in Loewe’s dress of the season: that instantly recognisable pale banana silk-satin number, speared with a classic yet cartoony pin. “We wanted to focus on tight, form-fitting looks that celebrate the body and create a sense of movement,” Kamara says of his first styling gig for the title. “For a spring cover, we chose warm, tonal colours set within the quintessentially ‘London’ backdrops, which I hope will celebrate such an iconic home of creativity and art.”

The choice of brands reflects something of a mission statement from British Vogue’s incoming head of editorial content Chioma Nnadi, who plans to use her platform to amplify the singular points of view of established bright sparks, such as Jonathan Anderson of Loewe, but also the city’s rising stars, from Jawara Alleyne and Supriya Lele to Marco Capaldo at 16Arlington. Take one look at twigs taking a call in a telephone box wearing the latter label’s blood-red Latex and feather spring/summer 2024 dress – inspired by the noirish imagery of David Lynch’s Lost Highway – and it’s an easy sell. London designers are a cut above the rest when it comes to scrappy eccentricity and irreverence. Or to quote the always imaginative Capaldo: “London fashion stands for having a strong point of view, for bringing fresh and innovative ideas to the table and constantly pushing the envelope.”