London Fashion Week was brimming with the talented design alumni of London College of Fashion, from catwalk shows in the main tent at Somerset House, to presentations and showroom displays. LCF alumni were also well represented at the prestigious off-schedule platform Fashion Scout, which has become as much a part of the London shows as the British Fashion Council’s official schedule.
Of course, LCF alumni also fill the front rows as journalists and buyers, the backstage area as stylists, hair and make-up artists and man the doors as PR agents, as well as those behind the scenes in the design studios, working as pattern cutters, marketing managers and more, but here is a quick round-up of the designers whose names appear on those coveted invites.
CATWALK
Lucas Nascimento AW14 via lucasnascimentoofficial instagram
Brazilian knitwear graduate Lucas Nascimento received NEWGEN sponsorship for a second season, showing a catwalk collection of innovative knitwear, wool outerwear and luxurious leathers inspired by iconic 60s model Veruschka, her famous 1971 Playboy shoot and the Seventies New York nightlife scene.
Menswear graduate turned womenswear designer Emilio de la Morena referenced his Spanish roots with a colourful collection of dramatic evening-wear in velvet, patent leather and taffeta accented with feminine ruffles and shearling.
Another menswear graduate, and one of the most feted young British designers in recent years, JW Anderson showed his first full womenswear collection since luxury conglomerate LVMH bought a minority stake in his company and installed him as creative director of Spanish leather brand Loewe last September. The collection of sculptural separates in unexpected proportions and fabrics – corduroy and de-embossed leather – was yet another smash hit.
PRESENTATIONS
2012 Fashion Fringe winner Haizhen Wang showed monochrome tailoring, black leather and graphic houndstooth and zig-zag prints.
Yeehaa! Cowgirls gone wild at Ryan Lo AW14/15 #LFW pic.twitter.com/tEqG6h1Q7I
— becausemagazine.com (@becausemagazine) February 16, 2014
Fresh out of Fashion East and straight into NEWGEN, Ryan Lo‘s candy-cowgirls posed amongst plastic cactuses, wielding silver pistols in the Topshop presentation space.
- BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology Womenswear
- Ryan Lo is on the Centre for Fashion Enterprise Pioneer programme
Hemyca designers Helen Clinch and Myra Nigris met whilst studying at LCF. They showed a collection of midnight blue, pitch black and oyster eveningwear and a campaign film as part of the BFC’s Digital Showcase.
DESIGNER SHOWROOMS
Leather gets a 2014 update at @MingPinTien EK pic.twitter.com/K8CDDhAZLV
— DailyExpress Fashion (@Express_Fashion) February 15, 2014
Ming Pin Tien graduated from MA Womenswear in 2012, showing his first collection at Fashion Scout and winning a slot in the coveted Ones to Watch showcase. He showed the AW14 Ming collection as part of the designer showrooms at Somerset House.
JENA.THEO‘s Jenny Holmes and Dimitris Theocharidis met at LCF in 2002 and have recently added artist O.Two (James Carey) to their design team, adding surface detail in print and hand-painted fabrics. They showed their collection of black acid wash denim with glossy gold accents in the designer showrooms.
Serbian designer Ana Sekularac studied fashion illustration as well as pattern cutting short courses at LCF. Her textural designs have been worn by Anna Friel, Rhianna, Victoria Beckham and Elle MacPherson.
Milliner Mich Dulce also took a series of short courses at LCF. She showed raffia caps and headpieces as part of the Estethica showcase to promote sustainable fashion.
Perky, peak-y (!) raffia dream hats at Mich Dulce #hedonism #lfw pic.twitter.com/WsK4kFcpu5
— Charlotte Gush (@CavaCharlotte) February 15, 2014
Three LCF alumna showed collections of handbags in the designer showcase: Analeena (Line Hamed) who presented colourful snakeskin chain bags, Mayra Fedane (Maya R Fedane) showed leather and print push-lock bags and Hemsley London (Jayne Hemsley) showed bold, geometric bags with seat belt style buckles.
Alice Cicolini presented her collection of Indian-inspired jewellery as part of the Rock Vault initiative, and Ekaterina Demidova’s label WRQ.E.D showed illustrated silk scarves, each with a border of poetry.
- BA (Hons) Fashion Jewellery
- BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology Womenswear
- MA Strategic Fashion Marketing
FASHION SCOUT
OMG the jacket too! Xiao Li #lfw @WGSN pic.twitter.com/mXRU3hdA1O
— Katy Katazome (@Katy_WGSNdenim) February 16, 2014
Merit Award winner Xiao Li studied MA Womenswear at LCF before completing her masters at the RCA. She showed a collection of cotton, mesh and rubber in crisp white and shades of blue, embelished through her innovative technique of moulding rubber to resemble oversized studs and chains. Xiao Li will travel to the Fashion Scout showcase in Paris, alongside three other LCF alumna, Aether Studios (Neliana Fuenmayor and Paula Maso) and Julia D’Albert, who studied tailoring.
- MA Fashion Design Technology Womenswear
- BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring
- Fashion Scout Merit Award Winner: Xiao Li
Part of last year’s Ones to Watch showcase, Renli Su is a recent graduate of MA Womenswear. Her collection for AW14 is oversized but elegant, in natural colours of Indian handmade organic linen and a wool / linen blend from Ireland.
Lulu Liu‘s graduate collection was part of the Future Map selection at UAL and she has shown her bright, often exaggerated silhouettes at Fashion Scout for six seasons.
Belle Sauvage, whose Virginia Ferreira studied at LCF, showed a dramatic collection of capes, dark eveningwear and prints entitled “Paris Cats after Midnight”.
Min Wu AW14 courtesy of Agatha Connolly
Min Wu graduated just last year from MA Womenswear, exhibiting her work in a static showcase last season but taking her sculptural designs to the Fashion Scout catwalk for AW14.
BasharatyanV by Veronica Basharatyan studied economics in Moscow, before coming to London to study fashion promotion at CSM and then Surface Textiles at LCF. She showed a sporty collecion in grey with neon yellow accents.
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