Can't wait for London Fashion Week to hit the capital? Us neither. From Alexander McQueen’s return to the brand’s home city to the debut collection from Mulberry’s new creative director, there’s plenty to get excited about for the A/W’16 event, which kicks off on Friday 19th February. Before their collections hit the catwalk, some of London’s hottest young designers have shared the inspiration behind their latest sartorial offerings...
John Smedley x BFC Collaboration
Brit heritage label John Smedley has teamed up with six British designers for A/W'16 to create innovative knitwear pieces, fusing traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design. Holly Fulton, Claire Barrow, Phoebe English, Ashley Williams, 1205 and Lou Dalton have all been selected to collaborate with the knitwear brand, with each of the womenswear designers unveiling their creations at catwalk shows and presentations at London Fashion Week. Watch this space...
Holly Fulton
'A/W'16 is inspired by the artist David Inshaw and draws from his world of '70s otherwordly references and his love of women. The colour palette comes from his lush, rich shades and the deep tactile tones of his paintings. Cutting is inspired by sportswear from the same era with referencing utilitarian detailing and cuts through the outerwear and finishing on garments. Fabrications are textured; velvets and jacquards combine to reference the graphic signature of the brand in a new way and embroidery embraces pieces from top to toe. Accessories keep the same family of fabrications and motifs to create a tight collection reflecting our ethos and aesthetic.'
Eudon Choi
'For my AW16 collection I found inspiration in abstract art. I love the fact that abstract art makes no attempt to depict an accurate representation of a visual reality. It uses shapes, colours and forms to achieve its effect. This is very much like designing clothes. I was particularly drawn to the work of two female painters - Saloua Raouda Choucair and Helen Frankenthaler. While both firmly abstract artists Saloua and Helen have widely differing styles – Saloua favouring sharp and graphic lines and strong colours – while Helen’s work is characterised by fluid shapes with muted colours and relaxed brushwork. It is this juxtaposition of the hard and the soft, the muted and the vivid that forms core point of reference for my collection.'
Peter Jensen
'This collection is about art, I think well it has some kind of element of that. The women, who is the muse this season, is all about art. Art, money and sex!'
palmer // harding
‘For autumn//winter 2016 we are exploring anonymity and looking to the situationist movement and vaporwave for inspiration. The anti-digital aesthetic of Nathan Peter’s work (which we explored last season) has filtered into the colours and textures.'
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