London style is never a mystery to me because the UK doesn't benefit from a
balanced climate. What is a mystery to me, however, is a designer's defiance against
producing a collection that adheres to the British season. On Sunday, the 9th of
June, The Creatives held a catwalk presentation showcasing five upcoming British
designers during London Fashion Week in June. Fashion Week in June holistically
focuses on resort or menswear collections. When travelling to see these designs in
person, see a snapshot of the designers as they discuss the concept behind their
collections below.
Laura Tailor
Laura Tailor's collection championed sustainability with its founders' passion for
sustainability. In speaking with Laura about why she decided to centre her
collection around the environment, she told me that it's all about saving the planet.
Laura went on to say,
"Think about the people who dip-dye their clothes, the
pollution, and the unlivable wages that most workers make from working, the best
concept was to use what we already have and recycle that.
" Laura's collection featured six distinct looks made from denim. The most exciting
feature of Laura's collection is her attention to detail. On the back of a denim jacket
were two union jacks stitched at the rotator cuff. On all garments was stitched a
neck label that embellished Laura's motif - a style that was also seen on many
Versace blazer jackets. I particularly liked how Laura recycled her denim and gave
life to old fabric.
Archive Online
Archive Online is "an archive, not a collection" I was fascinated when I heard this
because I wasn't clear on its meaning. I managed to speak to Gracia about what this
meant, and he told me the concept derives from avoiding fast fashion. He then went
on to say that fast fashion doesn't contribute to creating quality pieces of clothing.
Embedded in some garments were barcodes at the back of 12 digits. The first six
digits are when the design was created, and the last six are when the sample was
made. The idea behind that is the items are created in advance, but it takes time to
manufacture and produce the items, making it an archive.
Another brand that had a keen eye for detail in their collection was Archive Online.
Many of the garments featured butterflies on both denim and puffer jackets. I
particularly liked the concept of the barcodes on the clothing once the concept was
explained. When I consider the rate fashion moves today and how much I wish it
would slow down, it adds depth to each garment in the closet.
Bakary Manjang Denim
Bakary Manjang is a luxury streetwear brand specialising in denim for men and
women. The label was founded by Bakary Manjang in 2019, and later, Margaret Cairo joined the team to lead the womenswear line. Having a mens and womenswear designer work
so closely is seldom seen in fashion, so naturally, I was curious about their
collaboration. Margaret began as a model for the brand, and then a few years later,
she made it known that she wanted to begin designing her own clothes. Once Bakary
began to look to expand the brand, he knew Margaret could design, which made her
the best choice for leading the womenswear line.
There were six looks in this collection, three in menswear and three in the
womenswear line. My favourite garment in this collection was a plaid-style shirt in
the mens line which featured a phoenix on the back. I paid particular attention the
BM Denim motif stitched to the women's turtlenecks which is a key stand out. It's a
clean aesthetic with a street twist.
Delta of Phoenix
Delta of Phoenix is "unapologetically feminine" It is a British label founded by
Francesca Newman, described as a sustainable and luxury womenswear brand. A
common theme throughout the evening's designers was their implicit support of
sustainability, so I wanted to understand what sustainability meant to Delta of
Phoenix, but in particular, what sustainable approaches Francesca practised when
producing.
In detailing her sustainable practices, Francesca told me that first and foremost she
makes everything herself by hand with love.
She then went on to say,
"All the fabrics I use are locally sourced within the London
area, the skirts from the most recent collection were made using archived fabrics,
and she has minimal wastage when it comes to her fabrics" due to her careful
placement when cutting.
I am incredibly fond of how "feminine" Delta of Phoenix's designs are. Bows, frills
and see-through fabric are seldom connected to femininity in our modern world
today. The word has many interpretations and Delta's interpretation appears to
champion the word in its traditional sense. I have seen a growing demand for
clothing that Delta of Phoenix specialises in, and I'm keen to witness its growth,
including how it impacts street style.
Trimingham
From the moment I saw the first model, I could tell that Trimingham is aligned with
the athleisure subsection of fashion. I was curious about this as the lead designer,
Cherise Trimingham, is a woman. None of the current major fashion brands feature
menswear lines led by women which is interesting because that is not the other way
around. We have Sabato De Sarno who leads Gucci women, John Galliano who leads
Maison Margiela and Nicholas Ghesquiere who leads Louis Vuitton.
In speaking with Cherise, her qualifications became immediately apparent. Cherise
has long possessed a sportswear degree, and alongside that, she noticed a gap in the
fashion market for luxury sportswear. At the moment, the luxury sportswear market
doesn't have any major players, and where few brands operate, they tend to leverage
the notoriety of the overall brand's legacy. Trimingham could have an edge over its
competition in terms of understanding its customer base.
In speaking with Cherise about its ideal customer,
"is a young male aged between
25-35, single, likes to spend, and holidays in Dubai or Miami who is successful
working in the city.
" Considering the effect the economy has on child-bearing, her
customer base is alive and well like ever before.
The collection was made up of six menswear looks, but the key standout for me was
a puffer gilet with the house name embossed. Gilets are perfect for three out of four
seasons (arguably all of them), and exudes luxury streetwear. My second favourite
look was a techstyle fleece and matching shorts. It's virality and flexibility is aligned
to menswear but I do believe it has unisex appeal.
Courtesy of Sama/SSEDITORIALÂ Magazine
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