Saul Nash
(Picture: Chris Yates/ Chris Yates Media )June’s London Fashion Week, which pre-pandemic had been reserved for London Fashion Men’s collections, is set to return genderless on 10 – 13 June.
Today, the British Fashion Council have let on to what is in store, publishing their provisional schedule of the buzzy London brands preparing to show.
Given this used to be men’s only, many of the UK’s biggest names – like Victoria Beckham, JW Anderson and Richard Quinn – are missing from the list, no doubt focussed on the larger collections come September.
It means younger, upcoming labels have more chance to stand out from the crowd, and some of the city’s hottest new names plan to take advantage of the opportunity.
Proceedings officially kick off Friday 10 June, but the shows gets into full swing on Saturday with Carlota Barrera, the Spanish born London College of Fashion graduate with a sleek androgynous style.
LABRUM London will also show. The Sierra Leone-born, London-raised Foday Dumbuya’s brand has fast become a LFW highlight, thanks to his playful tailoring, and immersive shows with musical performances. The Irish Robyn Lynch, a Westminster University graduate, known for technical, toned down menswear will finish the day.
Saturday’s standout may well be AGR Knit, though – the neon knitwear brand by South London local Alicia Robinson. Making a catwalk debut, the label which started in Robinson’s bedroom in 2018, will no doubt jump at the chance to invite guests inside their electric shade world.
Ahluwalia, the Indian-Nigerian designer championed for the diverse inspirations weaved into effortlessly sleek collections spanning t-shirts and tailoring, will make an exciting start to Sunday. Following her is the Bella Hadid approved Dilara Findikoglu, the Turkish-British Central Saint Martins Graduate, who found success with her pearl, Anne Boleyn inspired necklaces.
Other moments to look out for include Mainline:RUS/Fr.CA/DE, which is a London based collective, founded by Alexandra Vincent, Karl Felix, and Zarina Bekerova, as well as Scott Henshall’s own line, previously creative director at Mulberry.
Saul Nash , the recent winner of 2022’s Woolmark Prize, will also present digitally on Sunday. His technical men’s sportswear mixes dance and street style, and his choreo-heavy shows are always a schedule highlight.
The kids are gearing up for a showstopper too. The Ravensbourne and Westminster University classes of 2022 are set to make an impact as they present their graduate collections on Saturday and Monday respectively.
Showing as a group is notoriously tough, and the student fall back is often to go big and bold to standout. So expect all things weird and wonderful. Nothing will be off the table come June.
