The most innovative graduate designers from London College of Fashion's BA Class of 2019.
On Thursday 18th July, we had the pleasure of attending LCFBA19 Degree Show. Held in the trendy, industrial Here East campus in Stratford, London College of Fashion’s School of Design and Technology came together to showcase this years graduates in their biggest show ever. With the catwalk presenting the most innovative and inspiring collections from womenswear, menswear, sportswear and more. The inclusive show exposed us to some of the industry’s latest breakthrough talent.
Our invitation to the show was an honour, since the success of our Graduate Talent Programme, and working with several LCF alumni to promote their graduate collections to our extensive contact of stylists, magazine editors, social media influencers and buyers in order to help them gain media exposure, press coverage and commercial sales opportunities. Through this programme, we have secured publication designer Liza Kain in Vogue Italia, along with a commercial collaboration with Vodafone and designer Missy Wu. In 2019, we saw our biggest achievement yet. Pushing young, Italian designer and LCF 2018 alumni, Alice Pons, to have her orange silk corset feature in the most talked about music videos from Ed Sheeran's collaborative album ‘No.6 Collaborations Project’. The British singer-songwriter and Grammy-award winning pop sensation Ed Sheeran, collaborated with American Grammy-nominated rapper Travis Scott for his latest single ’Anti Social’. The music video was shot by the legendary Grammy -award winning director Dave Meyers, the genius behind “God Is A Woman”, “Bad Guy” and “HUMBLE.”Attending the highly anticipated LCF degree show, we were witness to the sheer talent and excellence from this years’ class of 2019. From high fashion innovative womenswear, to upcycled festival waste, to suave menswear. Fashion Crossover reports on the most promising and stand out designers from LCFBA19, with several already showcasing online under our esteemed Graduate Talent Programme.
Camila Fukumothi
Brazilian designer Camila Fukumothi's background in architecture translated through to her designs and graduate collection. Her ‘BOX’ collection displayed her passion for architectural fashion and geometry, whilst highlighting her high fashion aesthetic. Oversized sharp lines, inorganic images and graphic shapes, bear resemblance to the structure of a flat pack box. Following the success of her creative high fashion 'BOX' collection, Camila is certainly establishing herself as an innovative and standout designer.
Olga Baskakova
Olga Baskakova also displayed her signature high fashion and luxurious style through a collection exploring the notion of ‘clothing’. With a passion for the initial design and construction process of clothing, Olga incorporated adoration into her garments. Her graduate collection tells a story about women, through her own personal trials and tribulations of understanding herself and women of this generation, taking into consideration the ‘feminism era’. Through upcycled lingerie, Olga transformed into luxurious and elegant garments.
Roisin Cummins
Another designer also incorporating lingerie into high fashion, couture garments, whilst bearing consideration of feminine fetish aesthetics, was Roisin Cummins. Taking inspiration from style icon, Daphne Guinness, whilst combining with her modern design approach; Roisin created a striking collection which enhanced the voluptuous female form with traditional metal armour and drag-esque padding. Her signature style was emphasised through her use of metal lacing, exaggerated silhouette and a comical play on society's beauty standards.
Hannah Ross
Contrasting the monochromatic fetish garments, Hannah Ross’ collection was a breath of fresh air. Inspired by the contemporary artist Erwin Wurm, and painter Joan Brown, Hannah’s collection featured pastel shades and headscarves, accompanying tailored silhouettes, for a wearable runway look. The Scottish designer showcased a collection capturing the essence of everyday life. With her full 7 look collection creating an outfit for every day of the week.
Amber Kim
Amber Kim's collection ‘Repurpose’ reimagines avant-garde fashion with a focus on sustainability and up-cycling, taking conscious consideration for the cycle and end life of textile products. Amber’s aim to encourage a circular economy, addresses the issues surrounding excessive consumption and waste produced by the fashion industry. Her up-cycled festival fashion, repurposes the left over textiles such as tents, sleeping bags and blankets, transformed into 5 statement looks. ‘Repurpose’ is a playful collection combining both the elements of the original textile pieces, with innovative and imaginative design to create glamorous gowns and structured jackets. Her creativity and focus on sustainability, certainly ensures Amber Kim is at the forefront of ethical fashion.
Savvas Alexander
In addition to the exquisite womenswear showcased at the prestigious LCF catwalk, the menswear did not disappoint. Designer Savvas Alexander, presented a striking collection focusing on technical construction blended with fluidity and drape. His collection displayed his skills in pattern cutting innovation, through silhouette experimentation. The draped hood and fabric manipulation on his garments, reinforced his creative yet modern aesthetic, His talent has not gone unnoticed, with his next journey embarking on an MA in the renowned Royal College of Art.
William Shillito
Another designer with an innovative approach to menswear is William Shillito. The textiles in his collection displayed an interesting juxtaposition with leather and wool. The edgy menswear collection showcased his traditional sartorial workmanship through sharp tailoring and structured silhouettes; whilst expressing his innovative and modern style with striking buckles and chains.
Shiho
In contrast to the sharp, tailored collections was Shiho’s knitwear collection ‘Get off my way!! I’m king of the road!!’. A collection with comedic inspiration from Prince Phillip’s car crash in 2019, the designer embodied car racing motifs, to create a playful and statement knitwear collection. The bold and eclectic collection displayed Shiho’s signature colour blocking and bold prints, to ensure the collection took centre stage.
The models were dressed to impress. Attending LCFBA19’s catwalk show was definitely one to remember, with over 50 graduate collections, it was certainly their biggest show ever. It was extremely encouraging to witness the newest London College of Fashion graduates presenting such strong and innovative designs. Showcasing their collections is just a first step into the effervescent fashion industry. As a platform dedicated to supporting and promoting young talent, we hope our Graduate Talent Programme can provide the opportunity for these graduates to fulfil their dreams and expose their full potential as credible designers.