LCF BA Graduate Collection by Ruri Watanabe
A whole three weeks ago, while trying to wade through 10,000 London Collections: Men photographs and write up show reports, I went to another fashion show. The London College of Fashion hosted their BA collections two days after LC:M had finished (and I’d barely started). I knew that going was a bit silly, but I couldn’t resist – each year the standard is so high and the collections are so unique. ‘Bugger it’ I thought, as I legged it to The Yard in Shoreditch, the venue for this year’s show.
Twenty-six collections – many collaborations – is a bit of a challenge. At the LC:M menswear shows it’s pretty much one idea translated 30-odd times, but here there were TWENTY SIX totally different, totally unique ideas. Each student is worth a full review, but if I did that I wouldn’t sleep for days. I urge you to check out the very comprehensive University of the Arts London Showtime website where you can see collections in full. In the meantime, here’s a run-down of my favourites:
Opening the show was Daniel Tanner‘s regal womenswear, where dramatic sections of fabric in contrasting colours were fastened together with oversized knots.
All photography by Matt Bramford
I loved Arianna Luparia‘s luxuriant womenswear; rigid felt fabric in rich, dark colours appeared moulded into shapes that revealed bare flesh. Pieces were finished with Henriette Camilla Sveen‘s glorious jewellery and objet d’art – black wood and gold sculptures.
Faye Van Andel collaborated with Contour student Zoë Greening. The result was lace lingerie draped with rich silk fabrics and finished with fur wraps:
Luke Bullen and Jana Dahmen drew gasps from the audience with their ghostly, ethereal creatures. Delicate white sheets with unfinished hems were painted with black stripes with a resulting translucency. Models’ faces were only just visible underneath these unique creations.
Bespoke Tailoring graduate Marta Cesaro collaborated with knitwear designer Shasha Wong. The result: a polished collection of coats, tops and dresses in thick fabrics and pastel colours. Hats with enormous brims, concealing models’ faces, completed their looks.
I was blown away by Lucia Kelly‘s womenswear, with textiles by Inthira Tangjaroensutthichai. Love hearts formed the inspiration for these vibrant hand-painted metallic pieces; long coats were synched at the waist and long dresses with sweetheart necklines had dramatic dropped sleeves.
Headpieces made from hair by Nicole Paskauskas transformed the clothing by Fiona Barnes and Lauren Pilgreen
Sunjung Park‘s denim creations were pretty striking to say the least; shredded fabrics with thick knots and flattering, 1970s-esque shapes that revealed bare navals were complimented by Vivian Ng‘s bizarre and fascinating septum jewellery.
Also bringing a disco element to the catwalk were Sofia Ilmonen and Jinhee Moon, with millinery by Mengna Ye. Towelling pastel fabrics were matched with metallic ruffles, velvet and tinsel in a collection that sounds hideous when written down but sparkled in real life.
Maewa Uhlmann‘s luxurious sportswear in pretty much all white, with floating headpieces and cable details, provided a welcome break:
A collaboration between Victoria Smith and Hae-Na Kim, featuring dramatic blosson shapes and candy colours, was a worthy winner of collection of the year:
Clarissa Kang and Umme Salma presented a futuristic collection; dramatic, layered, silk pieces were brought to life with contemporary rigid braces with hair details:
Menswear was, as always, well represented. My favourites included Danielle Nichol/Katie Barker/Tiffany C. Ng‘s offering, with revealing sportswear and futuristic jewellery; Carl Jan Cruz‘s unfinished tailoring combining a wide range of fabrics; Guyhyun Jee‘s ostentatious fur coats and Ruri Watanabe‘s fun, vibrant style that was complimented with womenswear.
Closing the show was Charlotte Knowles. Charlotte had deconstructed Pinscreens and created dazzling pieces that jingled as models walked backwards and forwards. Hundreds of nails were delicately applied to wool coats and translucent dresses layered over skirts. It was the perfect finale to an outstanding show.
Written by Matt Bramford on Tuesday July 15th, 2014 9:22 am
Categories ,2014, ,Arianna Luparia, ,BA, ,Carl Jan Cruz, ,catwalk, ,Charlotte Knowles, ,Clarissa Kang, ,Daniel Tanner, ,Danielle Nichol, ,fashion, ,Faye Van Andel, ,Fiona Barnes, ,graduate, ,Guyhyun Jee, ,Hae-Na Kim, ,Henriette Camilla Sveen, ,Inthira Tangjaroensutthichai, ,Jana Dahmen, ,Jinhee Moon, ,Katie Barker, ,Lauren Pilgreen, ,LCF, ,London College of Fashion, ,Lucia Kelly, ,Luke Bullen, ,Maewa Uhlmann, ,Marta Cesaro, ,Matt Bramford, ,Mengna Ye, ,menswear, ,Nicole Paskauskas, ,Pinscreens, ,review, ,Ruri Watanabe, ,Shasha Wong, ,shoreditch, ,Sofia Ilmonen, ,Sunjung Park, ,The Yard, ,Tiffany C. Ng, ,Umme Salma, ,Victoria Smith, ,Vivian Ng, ,Womenswear, ,Zoë Greening
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