Harper's Bazaar UK January 2020
Founded in 2015 by Central Saint Martins alumna Since Wang, Fashion Crossover London (FCL) has become a bridge to creativity. It reflects the future faces of fashion by supporting daring minds from both the East and the West. FCL emboldens connectivity by providing a platform in which designers can engage with fashion insiders and achieve international press exposure through showcasing and selling their work to a global audience.
FCL supports the pioneers and emerging voices in fashion. Up-to-date, FCL is representing more than 400 young designers from across the world, including alumni from the leading global fashion institutes such as Central Saint Martins, Royal College of Art (RCA), Parson School of Design and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp.
One of our iconic services, The Graduate Talent Programme, has seen several success stories. Through guidance and support, FCL provides a foundation for fresh young designers to begin establishing their name in the industry.
Sustainable
British designer and Kingston School of Art alumna, Jessica Tighe, specialises in textiles, combining D.I.Y ethos with a love of experimentation, to curate an entire collection solely from second-hand duct tape. Japanese designer and Istituto Marangoni alumnus, JU-NNA, also embraces a traditional handicraft. His collection resurrects a near extinct art and dying technique ‘Shibori’, which was first documented in 238 C.E. with Queen Himiko gifting the traditional patterned cloth to the Emperor of the Wei dynasty.
Innovation
With the overpopulated industry becoming ever more competitive, it is essential for designers to create striking statement designs. Chinese designer and London College of Fashion alumna Linxi Zhu, alongside Taiwaness designer and SCAD alumnus Lawrence Chang, have taken it one step further by taking inspiration from body modification and x-rays, to challenge traditional ways of garment manufacture to create avant-garde and futuristic aesthetics.
Technology
Algerian designer and RCA alumnus, Timothee Gleize has created a playful fashion lookbook presentation by using an interactive VR experience, similar to that of a gaming aesthetic. Also utilising modern technology and practises, is Chinese designer and School of the Art Institute of Chicago alumna, Yiwei Wu. By paying homage to her science and mathematics background, and experience as a user interface designer at Microsoft's Beijing HQ, she incorporates 3D printing into to her manufacture of the garment pieces.
Fashion Crossover London’s guiding spirit is encapsulated by its designers. Every entrepreneurial soul in the FCL family is a true representation of the platform’s mission; stand out, swim against the tide, break moulds and change the landscape of fashion.