When it comes to fashion week, the catwalk format is not for all designers, and a presentation can allow them to display their collection in a more intimate and creative environment. This season at London Fashion Week there were 18 shows on the schedule, ranging from the display of 824 individual sneakers to dynamic dance performances, and FashionUnited shares its favorite five.
Helen Kirkum “Step Back”
Helen Kirkum Studio, known for creating new sneakers by repurposing old ones, hosted a presentation titled ‘Step Back’ where they showcased the brand’s production process and the development of the unique repurposed Palimpsest shoe.
Kirkum said she wanted to use the presentation to share information about the production process and set the scene for their bi-weekly trips to the warehouse to source their recycled materials. The result was four twenty meter rows displaying 824 individual shoes collected from a recycling center in London.
“10 days ago, we had planned a completely different show, but I just didn’t like it,” Kirkum explained in the show notes. “Looking around the studio, I thought it was important to capture what we face every day and the larger purpose of the brand. The value of our products is in the story, so I wanted to show the beauty, texture and purpose of our products through the raw materials.”
The simple shoes on display will become the brand’s AW23 production, producing a total of 137 Palimpsest pairs for the season. The collection will feature three new colorways including Wild Moss, Dusty Stone and Faded Black, with a limited number available for pre-order from its website.
Ancuta Sarca AW23
Romanian-born footwear designer Ancuta Sarca, who focuses on upcycling footwear and accessories, returned to London Fashion Week with a Fall/Winter 2023 collection inspired by artificial intelligence and nature.
Fashion East graduate and Andam Fashion Awards 2022 finalist Sarca presented her AW23 collection at the Old Selfridges Hotel, incorporating sustainably sourced wooden logs encased in metal beams to demonstrate how nature and technology can coexist harmoniously.
The collection celebrates “the splendor of nature,” the designer explains in the show notes, offering the brand’s key styles through a retro-futuristic lens, such as the use of vintage quilted nylon jackets on boots designed to withstand alpine temperatures and create pointed toe heels trimmed with faux fur at the end of the roll.
In addition, there were loafers and square-toed ankle boots made of leather and sporty mesh that carried over the design language of previous seasons.
For the first time, Sarca also worked with denim in collaboration with Lee, applying denim to backless jackets and clogs made from repurposed denim jackets, along with two-piece looks, also made from denim, including bralettes, detachable sleeves and a faux shearling. arrangement.
Harry AW23
Indian-born, London-based menswear designer Harri, who made headlines earlier this month for his stunning puffy outfit worn by Sam Smith at the Brit Awards 2023, presented his Autumn/Winter 2023 collection with an energetic theatrical presentation.
For the second chapter, Harry continued his tactile exploration of the boundaries of wearable art and apparel, taking his striking and now signature balloon sculptural silhouette and creating them in newly refined and more accessible shapes.
The presentation at the Old Selfridges Hotel was created in collaboration with KK Obi, founder of Boy Brother Friend, and offered a ‘Life is a Cabaret’ style performance to show just how wearable his puffy pants really are.
As well as his bouncy latex trousers, Harry also showcased his curvy balloon jumpsuits through new textures and fibres, adding a tactile feel to his collection.
Complete AW23 projects
London-based jewelery and homewares company Completedworks by Anna Jewsbury, which documents the beauty and complexity of the everyday, presented its Autumn/Winter 2023 collection with a presentation where models wore beautiful jewelery and played with jelly.
Working primarily with recycled materials, Completedworks was inspired by how we preserve, protect and hold everyday objects, and the use of bubble wrap used to protect them.
This led to a playful presentation inside the house’s reimagined dust-covered great room, where models wore pearl jewelry fashioned into chaotic shapes, silver and gold pieces that looked like they had been crumpled in motion, and statement earrings and rings in topaz.
Toga Archives “Reveal, Inside, Liberation”
For Toga Archives’ AW23 presentation, designer Yasuko Furuta explored the feeling of freedom from constraints while offering safety and comfort in garments such as coats that show elements that are usually hidden to invite the body out.
Set against the London skyline from the top floor of the One Hundred Hotel in Shoreditch, the collection drew crowds for its impeccable tailoring and unexpected revelations. There were jackets tailored to open wide across the chest, shirts with hand-cuts and bows to reveal what was inside.
Other highlights included blazers with tailored ruffles, faux fur trim coats with heavy embellishments, parkas with mirrored magazine pockets on the outside and cropped puffer jackets. These were paired with v-neck collegiate sweaters, pleated skirts, leather pants, collared shirts and dresses that looked like they were twisted on the models.