Chinese Street Style Is TikTok’s Biggest Trend – And It’s The Inspiration We Need Post-Lockdown

Fashion East's short film proved the theory that the non-for-profit is as much a family as it is the industry's finest talent incubator. Instead of each designer creating their own concept for a video as per last season, all five shot their lookbooks at Truman Brewery, giving us, the viewer, a behind-the-curtain look at what it takes to craft the kind of imagery that will speak to the brand's new season style. Maximilian Davis (pictured) meditated on Black elegance, marrying family photographs of his grandmother's Sunday best outfits with the space-age futurism of the '60s and '70s, while Nensi Dojaka, a favourite with Bella Hadid, continued her study of the interplay between delicacy and strength with her figure-caressing bodywear.

Filmed at the Bridge Theatre, Erdem gave us a soaring kind of elegance for AW21, with criss-cross tied pointe shoes and platform pumps only adding to the balletic beauty of the swan-like skirts, ribbed leggings and feather-printed coats.

Next in Fashion fans will be thrilled to hear that Daniel Fletcher, the runner up in last year's competition, today launched his first standalone womenswear collection. Modelled by TikTok stars, and trans models, Maddie and Margo Whitley, the collection contains all the designer's carefully-honed hallmarks - the split-hem trousers, the riding jacket, the top-stitched denim - and, like the men's collection, utilises leftover fabrics and patchwork scraps from the factory floor.

Priya Ahluwalia has just been announced as the recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, a prize that recognises young designers who are making difference to society through either sustainable practices or community engagement. 'Ahluwalia's unique and ethical design process combined with her ability and passion to give back to communities around London and the globe make her an inspiration for many young British designers. We are incredibly proud to recognise Priya and look forward to seeing her business grow,' said Caroline Rush, the BFC's chief executive.

Brides-to-be had a rather bitter pill to swallow last year, but if they've managed to reschedule, and didn't already buy a dress, things are definitely looking up in 2021. For the first time, Rixo has added a collection of big day dresses to its line-up. Inspired by vintage silhouettes, and with prices starting from £75 for.an embellished pearl hairband, they've thought of everything, from a bias-cut silk skirt that you can pair with a sharp-shouldered silk jacket to a feather-trimmed shift dress to a mutton-sleeved jacquard showstopper. Swoon.

Simone Rocha's H&M collection is set to be a huge smash-hit, but come autumn, her fan club will have plenty to coo over. Her latest collection, staged in a church surrounded by stained glass windows, celebrated what she called, 'the three graces' - satin, leather and tulle - to dazzling effect. Her fantastical layers - like this puritan-collared shirt, overlaid with a tiered tulle dress and finished with giant leather rosettes - feel oddly like the perfect middle ground between where we are now (still living under restrictions) and where we hopefully will be in by autumn (running free).

For AW21, Michael Halpern wanted to acknowledge that while emergence is the subject on everyone's minds, we're still very much in a transitional phase. Presenting clothes that were 'created in a time of restraint, for a time of unrestraint,' Halpern nevertheless defied domestic dress codes, embracing the kind of catsuits, jumpsuits, skirt suits and even bathing suits (imagine!) that we'll all want to reach for come June.

Zoom earrings might not be strictly necessary by summer, but no matter, Completedworks's pearly lobe adornments are just as good for re-emergence. Inspired once again by suburbia, and crafted out of 14ct gold-plated recycled silver, the collection also featured look-twice rings and pendant necklaces that would do wonders for a simple button-down shirt.

Family life and the tenderness that exists between different generations were explored by Roksanda Ilincic, who, together with photographer-director Linda Brownlee, captured an intimate portrait of one family's day during lockdown in February. Vanessa Redgrave, daughter Joely Richardson and granddaughter Daisy Bevan, all resplendent in gowns and grown-up tailoring by Roksanda, were filmed using just an iPhone, moving about their countryside home to the soundtrack of Shakespeare's Sonnet 73 (read by veteran performer, Redgrave).

For his first dedicated menswear collection, Riccardo Tisci turned to familiar terrain for inspiration - the great outdoors - with a collection that looks set to give brollies and rubber boots cult status. 'I became fascinated by the widespread British craft and outdoor movements of the early 20th century, when people escaped to explore the unknown countryside. They formed communities with a deep respect for nature and the outdoors and looked forward to a future full of possibility. I was not only drawn to the artistry of their craft, colours and shapes, but also to their strong sense of camaraderie and friendship,' he said in the show notes.

For his short film as part of London Fashion Week, Kaushik Velendra gathered artists and friends of the house, including Bobby Brazier, actor-singer-dancer Layton Williams and Kelly Rutherford, to discuss why inclusivity is so vital and what getting dressed can do for one's sense of mental wellbeing.

Zooming between London, St Vincent in the West Indies, and Pakistan, I'm Coming documents a journey of healing. As Osman Yousefzada puts it: 'Fashion should not be at the expense of others or at the cost to the planet.' For AW21, the designer sought the expertise of artisans in Uzbekistan, with each of the collection's showstopping coats taking 50 hours to weave from silk yarns on a hand-loom.

Inspired by Hotel California, Jamie Wei Huang wanted to explore a singular mind circling in its own thoughts, failures, and satisfactions for AW21. Set against a coastal backdrop, with indie rock band, Fei Cheng, providing the soundtrack, the knitwear, outerwear and shirting (in bright block hues) took centre stage.

Preen by Thornton Bregazzi's short film might have been called Unhinged, but to the naked eye it seemed to be a celebration of the pastoral. Models, dressed in floral headscarves, frilled dresses, elegant frock coats and opera gloves, were seen walking purposefully across grassy pastures and holding handfuls of foraged mushrooms, a pony's reins and, in one case, a pair of geese.

Inspired by Man Ray, Erwin Wurm and Jean Cocteau's Blood of a Poet, Bianca Saunders's short film, Superimposed, looked at a man in isolation with a surrealist set-up that was in keeping with the strange reality of the present day. But the clothes themselves had a very wearable desirability, with Saunders focusing as always on her signature cuts and, in this particular case, on the shoulder.

'I loved the idea of making the ultimate dresses,' said Molly Goddard of her AW21 collection. 'Based on classic prom or party dresses that are so recognisable, but a little twisted - the tulle dress becomes so loud and clashing that it is almost ugly, the taffeta bows are spiky sharp, as are the bows on the shoes.' Goddard is, after all, Queen of the dress thanks to her incredible tulle creations which continue to delight season after season. But she's not a one-trick pony. There was a lot to love in this collection, which Goddard says was inspired various books she turned to at home, in place of being able to visit the library. Without the possibility of people watching, Goddard had to conjure the characters from some of her favourite works of fiction, looking 'at people (especially families) of all generations and how they wear clothes. The contrast between characters and styles. A glamorous smoking grandmother, sulking teenage son, an old man in tweeds and a young girl proudly ready for a night out.' There were sweater vests over ballgowns, cropped cardigans worn will neon tulle skirts and elegant outerwear teamed with gold platform boots. There may be a lack of joy to go round at the moment, but Molly Goddard is offering it in spades.

Priya Ahluwalia spent lockdown doing what many of us did: reading. One text that spoke to her in particular was Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi's multi-generational tale that begins with two sisters born in the 1700s, and fascinatingly follows each branch of their family tree to the present day. It led Ahluwalia to muse on migration and, in particular, the Harlem Renaissance, using her collection to explore how different elements can be merged. In her short film, Traces, which was created in collaboration with musician Cktrl, you can see hybridised garments like patchwork buttons-ups made from bamboo silk and deadstock shirting, and jumpers spliced together from repurposed knitwear and sweatshirt materials, while the graphic lines were inspired by migration maps of the world.

If ever there were a label to provide the antidote to lockdown, it's 16Arlington. For designers Kikka Cavenati and Marco Capaldo, the main point of inspiration was the work of Hubert Duprat, the French artist renowned for his unusual work with caddisfly larvae, where he collected them, safely removed their natural cocoon and then put the larvae in tanks filled with materials such as gold leaf, opals, coral and diamonds. The larvae would build their new protective sheath from such gems. According to a statement from 16Arlington, the notion of being 'trapped' was predominant in Cavenati and Capaldo's minds – hardly surprising given the last year. What this translates to is the 'trapping' of ostrich feathers under delicate netting, seen on evening gowns and coats. With giant puffer coats, leather pencil skirts and gowns which seem to reinvent the very concept of eveningwear, these are certainly clothes that long to be free, to be seen in the outside world. Hopefully, such a time will be upon us very soon indeed.

For AW21, Yuhan Wang wanted to explore women's relationship with nature, through the symbolic language of traditional Chinese landscape painting. She recruited a diverse cast of women to model her beautiful jacquard prints and sculptural silhouettes, including friends, sisters and mothers with their daughters. Interestingly, Wang saw a connection between her own situation in lockdown and that of the Tang Dynasty painters. 'Unable to change their physical environment, the artist projected their inner imaginary landscape onto the outer world, turning flora and fauna into symbols,' said Wang.

According to the brand, 90% of Vivienne Westwood's collection for autumn/winter 2021 was made 'from materials that have a reduced impact on our environment.' This includes a type of recycled denim which has been newly sourced for the collection, which itself incorporates some of the best-loved Westwood tropes. One of the major inspirations was Daphnis and Chloe, a 1743 painting by François Boucher that Westwood printed onto everything from mini dresses to parka coats.

Lucinda Chambers and Molly Molloy may only have established Colville in 2018 but they've already amassed a loyal following of women with a keen interest in design. Their fans will be pleased, then, with this new collection, which is packed with enough colour and style to make you forget about your lockdown sweatpants completely. The brand is very much in tune with what its customer might want, saying in a statement that the collection 'celebrates excellence in materials and, as always, embraces the changing nature of shopping; consumers want to spend on pieces that have depth, meaning and are in line with their broader values.' From exquisite outerwear to ruched silk dresses, the only difficulty will come in deciding which pieces to buy.

Dreaming of a different landscape, Eudon Choi transported us to Chalet Ariel, the iconic wood cabin in Gstaad, Switzerland, that once belonged to Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The wardrobe tenets of après ski, as well as the energy of the '60s, and the glamour of the guests at Chalet Ariel, who included Jackie Kennedy and Marlene Dietrich, are what suffuses the collection with its re-emergence energy.

Alice Temperley's AW21 collection is a homage to liberation in spirit, mood and imagination, with plenty of rose-tinted '70s style coming through in the snakeskin prints, bell sleeves and flared legs.

Saul Nash, partnering again with creative force FX Goby, has got the art of making compelling fashion film down pat. Twist starts off as two men squaring up to each other against a mournful score of violins. At its heart are ideas and experiences that are personal to Nash - about sportswear and the tribes of men most associated with it; about the taboos of sexuality that one can encounter growing up in inner-city London - and ultimately, without wishing to spoil the truly moving conclusion, a universal story about being accepted.

Matty Bovan's clothes lend themselves to the medium of film so well because you very much want to see everything - the sequins, the crochet, the shapes and textiles - up close and personal. For AW21, Bovan split his story into three parts, The Fall, The Void and The Light, using a head-spinning mix of handmade sustainable sequins, up cycled crystals, hand-dyed merino wool fur, Liberty florals and ISKO™ Denim.

For AW21, Mark Fast embarked on an imaginary deep sea dive, emerging with an aquatic-themed collection that was part streetwear, part fantasywear, like these exquisite mermaid sequins.

Olubiyi Thomas, celebrating off the back of his nomination for the BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund, today released a fashion film that centred around the idea of survival, and what that might mean for clothes. 'Our protagonist exists in multiple dimensions, salvaging the off-cuts of their environment to recreate their future identity,' he said.

For AW21, Bora Aksu wanted to reflect on the effect that isolation can have on the mind, and found himself musing on Revolutionary France, and the life of mathematician and physicist Sophie Germain. Cue a collection of sweetly feminine frocks that came with added bite in the form of a sharply tailored tuxedo jacket here or a pair of cigarette pants there.

The world of fashion rental has been booming over the past year, but has existed almost entirely in the realm of womenswear. My Wardrobe HQ, the fashion rental platform, and Belstaff, heritage menswear brand, are about to change all that. As part of LFW, and to celebrate their forthcoming partnership, the duo assembled an all-star panel hosted by Jane Shepherdson (Misan Harriman, Dylan Jones, James Norton and Wilson Oryema) to discuss why sustainability should be front and centre of the fashion industry.

Bethany Williams's capsule collection of one-off coats, launching at Selfridges, is crafted out of vintage blankets and was partly inspired by her work with The Magpie Project, charity working with mothers and children under-five in Newnham. As a symbol of comfort but also specialness - who doesn't love being wrapped in a blanket? - it felt like the right piece to make a hero out of.

Not only did he 'open' London Fashion Week, Harris Reed also had to contend with the fact that his first show post-graduation, a career-defining moment for any emerging designer, would be produced entirely under lockdown. Pressure, however, seems to have worked in his favour. The six-piece demi-couture collection - made entirely by Reed (with his pocket-sized team), and styled by Harry Lambert - was a tour de force in fluid fantasy. Everything from the hand-dyed tulle gowns spliced with tailoring - a signature look that you might remember on Harry Styles - to the headpieces, which have graduated from supersized hats to exquisitely feathered headdresses - speaks to the notion that fashion should, first and foremost, be about self-expression and joyful escapism.