Twice a year, during February and September, London Fashion Week boasts an extravaganza of looks from ambitious designers.
The five-day event (February 18 to 22) showcases more than 100 designers to a global audience of very influential people.
Think retailers and fashion journalists hungry for the next big star.
This year’s autumn/winter London Fashion Week highlighted prints, separates (skirts, tops, pants) and old-school silhouettes with little skin on show.
But general observations aside, some designers blew away audiences with fabulous art and theatre.
From the ocean to the Quinn-iverse
Designer and costumier Jack Irving, whose standout ‘fits’ have been worn by Lady Gaga, wowed his audience with looks reminiscent of underwater creatures.
Inspired by the deep sea, one model wore a silver bodysuit with tentacles that moved as she walked.
Another model wore a look inspired by a sea urchin with giant, colourful spines.
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Considering how futuristic Irving’s designs are, it’s no surprise that his London Fashion Week offering includes a foray into the metaverse.
Three pieces from Irving’s Quixotic Collection will be sold as an NFT, using Ethereum.
It was Irving’s first solo show at London Fashion Week and his biggest yet.
You can only imagine what he’ll come up with next.
Richard Quinn is no stranger to the spectacular.
And his show was no exception, with Quinn-tessentially Quinn designs.
The designer presented 48 bold looks on models who walked down a pink-carpet runway.
There was plenty of texture, dramatic silhouettes and loud colours that demanded attention.
Quinn is known for his use of latex and maximalist prints.
NFTs, but make it fashion
Irving’s NFT offering wasn’t a one-off at London Fashion Week.
Roksanda Ilinčić partnered with the Institute of Digital Fashion to transform her finale look into a demi-couture (a middle ground between couture and ready-to-wear) NFT.
The digital version of the dress, which launched on Monday, features an augmented reality function that allows people to ‘try on’ the outfit via an Instagram filter.
The NFTs are available in three limited-edition versions, with prices ranging from £25 ($47) for one of 500 3D garment renders to £5000 ($9438) for one of 10 3D animation renders, plus the software used to create the digital version of the dress.
As Vogue reported, this is the first time an NFT has been sold on a luxury brand’s website in pounds instead of cryptocurrencies.
Although some may frown at the wearable NFT, Ilinčić embraced the future of the digital world.
“I look at my daughter and I can see that [digital] is clearly where her generation is headed. The metaverse feels a bit like how it was when e-commerce first started and the luxury industry didn’t want to know – and look how that turned out,” Ilinčić told The Guardian.
A celebration of femininity
Most of the autumn/winter collections were defined by lots and lots of material, but the award-winning designer Nensi Dojaka thought otherwise.
Dojaka, who won the prestigious LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) prize in 2021, sent her trademark lingerie-inspired dresses down the runway in what many described as a celebration of the feminine body.
It was sophisticated, glamorous and sexy and once again cemented 28-year-old Dojaka’s place as one of the fashion world’s brightest rising talents.
Her designs have been worn by the likes of Spider-Man and Euphoria star Zendaya and artist and fashion designer Rihanna.
Dojaka is known for cutouts, sheer fabric and lots of straps, but her 37 looks at London Fashion Week also featured knitwear and puffer jackets for some winter chic.
