By Eunice Olumide
Lead image: Des Richards Photography
As always London Fashion Week was a flare of diversity and skill, with an inimitable collection of top couture powerhouses and future sustainable fashion talent. Burberry’s ‘Tempest’ show was led by a formidable army of supermodels, including Irina Shayk, Agyness Deyn, Kendall Jenner and the Hadid sisters. A thrilling presentation of classic tailored lines, minus the auspicious traditional check.
A twist on Burberry’s traditional check. Images: Alan D West
Temperley London and De La Vali embodied the heart of British fashion by presenting public-facing shows that welcomed all fashion paramours. Temperley’s distinguished and enchanting collection included gorgeous pastels and sumptuous textures, adorned with striking jewels and gemstones that reminded us that dreaming is part of living.
Bold prints from Paul Costelloe. Image: Des Richards Photography
Paul Costelloe and Ashley Williams’ AW20 collections mixed and matched patterns, textures and print, creating pure magic. Christopher Kane’s consistent attention to detail and the body, followed the most remarkable and enticing celebration of sensuality. The designer forged full garments using triangles in rich suedes, fused with silks, lace, body jewellery and knitwear, not to mention the iconic white suit.
Taking fashion to the next level last season, Tommy Hilfiger ruled supreme staging key runway events in Paris, Milan, Shanghai, Los Angeles and New York City. The Spring 2020 collections included the co-ed Hilfiger collection, and the greatly anticipated Tommy x Lewis collaboration with Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton.
A mixture of prints and texture at Ashley Williams’ AW20 show. Image: Des Richards Photography
Skip to this season, and the ‘Tommy Now’ AW20 show at London’s Tate Modern saw Naomi Campbell lead the runway, where she was joined by Georgia Jagger, Pixie Geldof and Lennon Gallagher, with the exquisite London Fashion Week debut of Mingus Reedus – son of Helena Christensen and Norman Reedus. There was high energy, vitality and an invigorating aptitude to distil fresh new ideas crafted with sustainably tracked materials, including vegan leather, organic cotton, and fabulous fashion alternatives.
The International Woolmark Prize honoured exceptional fashion talents who were challenged to conceive their compendium of Merino wool. The 2020 finalists encompassed designers across the globe, namely Botter, Bode, GmbH, Ludovic de Saint Sernin, Matthew Adams Dolan, Blindness, A-Cold-War, Namacheko and now winner of the prize, Irish designer Richard Malone. Bode took home the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation. A battle of beautiful brilliance, devotion and destiny, the show paid homage to fashion of the old and fashion of the now. A feeling of immaculate authenticity and vulnerable mortality gave life to a magnificent fashion future for the world.
