Fashion

London Fashion Week’s Young Talent Reigns Supreme

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2 months ago

September 15, 2024

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London Fashion Week’s Young Talent Reigns Supreme

It’s a hard time to be a London designer. The British economy is making for a cautious moment in a city where creativity is abundant but business opportunities are sadly not. Most designers decamp for creative directorships abroad and very few find fortune making work in the Big Smoke. Nevertheless, the emerging talents that show during the first few days of London Fashion Week made an exciting case for the city’s fashion future and why London remains an important laboratory of ideas.

Friday’s S.S.Daley show, Steven Stokey-Daley’s first full womenswear offering, played with the tensions between hard and soft. Daley was particularly inspired by the 19th century British artist Gluck, known for his picture-frame portraits and floral paintings. Daley transformed Gluck’s own tailored uniform into a black wool day coat, worn over a high collar shirt and Daley’s signature roomy pants that made him a hit in 2020. Florals bloomed on bias-cut slip dresses, oversized shirting, and a ripstop trench that appeared manipulated due to the weaving process and was trimmed in ecru leather. While a lot of the chatter from the show came from Harry Styles’s impromptu attendance (Styles is also an investor in S.S.Daley), the buzz is warranted for Daley’s spring/summer 25, a confident collection that tied together his point of view for British craft and culture with the signature design codes he’s been establishing since the start.

Elsewhere, Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena-Irons grounded themselves in the unorthodox beauty and creative chaos that makes their label Chopova Lowena so beloved. The designers, who only show once a year, used the setting of a dormant town hall in the city’s Shoreditch area to present their collection Chukaboo— a vision of “walloping womanity” as per their show notes. More simply, muses and female icons (think Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane) drawn from America’s Wild West. The garb of rodeo women and showgirls was translated into embellished denim. Black corsets were latched onto traditional floral Bulgarian textiles by carabiners (a Chopova Lowena signature since the brand’s start). Influences of Victorian-era ruffles—think bloomers and hip bustles—added freshness to a collection that felt the most universally wearable yet. It was as though the designers were encouraging us to pick our own adventure, with the clothes and attitude to match. 75-year-old Walt Yotka, father of Bazaar contributor Steff Yotka, in the model mix with London’s It-kids is a testament to its far-reaching appeal. The designers themselves echoed this sentiment saying, “Every girl becomes a woman and must choose the costume she’ll wear for the world, reinventing herself every day in her wardrobe.”

Standing Ground’s Michael Grant, was recently named the winner of the 2024 LVMH Savoir-Faire prize, which rewards craftsmanship and technical expertise, and is chosen by a cohort of LVMH creative directors that this year included Jonathan Anderson and Phoebe Philo. Saturday’s show doubled down on his insistence on the details. His work has always been rooted in occasionwear, long column dresses with a gust of fabrics at the hip. A simplistic sexiness, but this season he incorporated elements of beading on mini skirts and leather-wrapped beads on cascading tops. There were also embellishments on the backs of floor-length jackets that felt more complex and daring—artifactual even. Swooping silk dresses in red and ochre echoed a modern take on ancient togas. His clothes are currently only available made-to-order —betting on the appeal and rarity of his sort of craft.

Aaron Esh’s all-black rock and roll, leather-heavy collection did what London is known for, which is to emphasize a street couture that one could see on the cool kids in every major city. Richard Quinn brought his regal elegance and grandeur-ish ball gowns to one of London’s most fitting settings—the ballroom at the Dorchester. And Priya Ahluwalia continued her meditation on her Indian-Nigerian heritage in a collection entitled ‘Home Sweet Home,’ that picked up on the mumbo-jumbo of textiles and prints (think wallpapers, curtains, rugs, and doilies) that are prevalent in colorful immigrant homes.

launchmetrics aaron esh priya ahluwalia richard quinn

Courtesy of Launchmetrics

All presented distinctive ideas of British identities painting a colorful and creatively rich picture of London right now.

Lynette Nylander is the Executive Digital Director of Harper’s Bazaar. Originally from London, England, her great loves include reading, singing badly at karaoke, new shoes and Ru Paul’s Drag Race.