Fashion

London Fashion Week AW22: 6 Standout shows and everything else you missed

Act two

15.02.2022

By Kelly Lim

London Fashion Week AW22: 6 Standout shows and everything else you missed

With NYFW rolling to an end, things are heating up across the pond as the British capital gears up for the return of London Fashion Week, taking place between February 18 to 22. This season, the digital-physical hybrid event will be showcasing both womenswear and menswear shows, with a mix of emerging designers from incubator Fashion East to Conner Ives, as well as international luxury brands such as Erdem, Roksanda and Rejina Pyo, alongside the return of LFW faves including Simone Rocha, Richard Quinn, Bora Aksu and Molly Goddard.

Of the 131 designers on schedule, the British Fashion Council has confirmed that 86 physical activations will be taking place throughout the week, with brands like Matty Bovan, Richard Quinn, Simone Rocha, Erdem and Rejina Pyo hosting IRL catwalks. Meanwhile, there are also a bevy of new names showcasing on the official schedule this season––LFW has always been known to support and nurture up-and-coming talent––including Johan Ku, Kwk by Kay Kwok, cult It-girl brand Poster girl, Seokwoon Yoon and Sohuman. Missing this time, however, are heavy hitters such as Burberry, Victoria Beckham and Mulberry.

READ: Burberry Spring/Summer 2022 collection in photos

Who to watch out for? 

Alongside the LFW faves mentioned above, 2021 LVMH Prize winner Nensi Dojaka will be returning to the runway after a successful solo debut during SS22, as well as Conner Ives, who uses deadstock and vintage materials throughout his collections. There has also been a revival in menswear in London in recent years, and designers such as Saul Nash, Stefan Cooke, Robyn Lynch and S.S. Daley are all names on our list to keep an eye on.

 

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Elsewhere, Roksanda will be teaming up with LFW sponsor Clearpay to introduce an exclusive NFT in an effort to bring “digitisation, accessibility and innovation to fashion lovers everywhere”.  Created in collaboration with the Institute of Digital Fashion, a demi-couture look from the designer’s AW22 collection will come to life in the form of NFTs that will be available for purchase on the brand’s website––the first of its kind to give consumers a taste of haute fashion via Web 3.0. Thereafter, the IRL version will debut on the runway during Roksanda’s LFW showcase on Monday, February 21.

 

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Additionally, 16Arlington will be hosting a catwalk show featuring an unseen collection in honour of co-founder Federica Cavenati, who sadly passed at the age of 28 in November 2021.

Check out the full schedule here, and stay tuned for updates as we’ll be rounding up the best collections to come out of London Fashion Week AW22: 

Connor Ives 

 

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Who hasn’t been waiting for Connor Ives’ runway debut? Armed with a cult following of industry insiders, the rising American designer was handpicked by Rihanna herself to work on Fenty and had retailers like Net-a-Porter and Brown’s selling his line before he even finished his degree at Central Saint Martins. Ives kicked off London Fashion Week in Selfrideges’ Old Hotel with a strong statement about the sentiment of new American style, drawing directly from good ol’ American archetypes and aesthetics; each model had their own backstory inspired from the likes of Jackie O, past contestants from America’s Next Top Model, Andy from The Devil Wears Prada, and so on. As such, the collection manifested as a mix of the old and new that was sexy yet optimistic, with bohemian scarf dresses, upcycled graphic tees, crystal-studded minis and plenty of rainbow barrettes to complete the Y2K-esque club-ready looks. The additional cherry on the top? Ives’ focus on sustainability and use of recycled fabrics that have already become a signature of the new brand.

Nensi Dojaka

After last season’s rousing solo debut, Nensi Dojaka continues to ride her wave of success (her LBDs reached cult status last year as one of Lyst’s top ten hottest products of the first quarter of 2021) with an innately feminine AW22 collection that included less skin and a more body-diverse cast of models. This season, the former Fashion East designer and LVMH Prize recipient has honed what she does best, presenting signature organza minis with figure-flossing details, alongside lengthened hemlines, knitted tops, burst of bold Pantone shades and even, a luxurious velvet. Schiaparelli muse and German model Maggie Maurer also made an appearance, dressed in a glittering translucent slip that outlined her tiny baby bump. Talk about celebrating the strength of women.

Erdem

 

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For Autumn/Winter 2022, Erdem Moralioglu revisited Berlin’s 1930s art scene, where he imagined the night lives of four extraordinary women: painters Jeanne Mammen and Elfriede Lohse-Wächtler, and dancers Anita Berber and Valeska Gert. These were all contemporaries of photographer Madame d’Ora, muse to the designer’s second men’s collection earlier this year, and an embodiment of the liberating, sexual-ambiguous spirit of the era. Presented in Sadler’s Wells, the new collection mixed the extremes of femininity and masculinity via a muted yet sophisticated sensibility, featuring a broad men’s coat embroidered with glittering florals, lace dresses with dramatic sequinned panels, a dress jacket covered in white roses that was completed with wide-soled brogues and knee-high socks. It was a melancholically captivating spectacle of the upmost chicness, excavated through an Erdem lens.

Fashion East

 

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Deep in the rooms of a Shadwell nightclub, Jawara Alleyne, Chet Lo and Maximilian Davis sustained Fashion East’s reputation as the proving ground for cool, exciting new talent. Inspired by his Caribbean childhood, Allenyne presented a stunning debut exuding with an infectious DIY allure: his signature safety pins fastening pieces of fabrics to create patterns and structures across the body, alongside deconstructed takes on men’s tailoring that brought an entirely fresh perspective. Elsewhere, Lo’s second season transported audiences to the Swiss Alps, with his trademark spikes fashioned into halter-neck dresses and separates that were decorated with dramatic ostrich feathers. There was also the introduction of fur via snow bunny puffers and matching minis that came accompanied with knee-high boots and snuggly crossbody bags enlarged to the max. Last but not least was Maximilian, who closed the runway with an elegantly tailored final collection inspired by equestrian details and Davis’ own Catholic school life. Crafted in bone-dry Melton wool, the opening look––a cropped, off-the-shoulder wrap jacket with quilt-trimmed sleeves and pleated miniskirt––was more than enough evidence of why the young designer is tipped to win this year’s LVMH Prize.

16Arlington

 

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For the upcoming fall season, 16Arlington paid an emotional and powerful tribute to late co-founder Federica “Kikka” Cavenati. Entitled ‘Tears’, Marco Capaldo intended for Cavenati’s spirit to be embodied and remembered in the new collection, with sleek sheer dresses, full-volumed marabou coats and wet-look feathers (unearthed from the archives and treated with dye years ago by Kikka herself) slung across smoked topaz sequins––looks that were ready to conquer the night. Alongside this new elevated and timeless chic, there was also a sense of ethereal lightness as fluid crystal detailing fell like tears across wool tailoring, the brand’s signature silk shirt appeared in pure white and a standout sleeveless tunic was hand-embroidered with amber tear-shaped beading, fit for an angel.

Simone Rocha

 

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Set in the round at Lincoln’s Inn, Simone Rocha debuted a darkly seductive collection inspired by ‘The Children of Lir’, an Irish fable about a group of children who were turned into swans for 900 years at the hands of their magical stepmother. A sense of melancholic beauty and the transformation from human to bird was reflected across the manipulation of garments, where wings manifested through white cotton ruffles and nylon taffetas, while see-through slips were adorned with swan motifs and ribbons with bird-like feathers. Signature Rocha tulle and volume came paired with a rich blue velvet and mesh panels that revealed the skin, alongside a new woollen embroidery called “Bloodline”. And xompleting each look was a lofty layering of accessories, featuring crystal-speckled balaclavas, elongated opera gloves, pearly jewellery and sculptural footwear in the form of wearable ballerina-trainers elevated with platform soles.

Read more stories on the Autumn/Winter 2022 season here

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