I know I picked ten brands for New York Fashion Week, but for London Fashion Week I couldn’t narrow it down to just ten, so there will be fifteen brands, and this is the first set of five. To see who I picked for New York Fashion Week, here’s Set 1 and here’s Set 2.
Unfortunately I won’t be at London Fashion Week this season as I’m recovering from surgery but I’m working with some people there to still post some original content.
15.09.2023 10:00 Stefan Cooke
Stefan Cooke graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2017 with a Masters degree, and founded his eponymous label in 2018 with partner Jake Burt.[1] I first saw the brand’s clothes at London Men’s Fashion Week in SS2020 in the exhibition halls, and I remember the really amazing intarsia knitwear there.
15.09.2023 12:00 Bora Aksu
Same as Stefan Cooke, I’ve experienced Bora Aksu at London Fashion Week, this time at the brand’s AW2013 catwalk show which featured some beautiful pleated skirts in the feminine, “gothic lolita” style that Bora Aksu is known for. Back in the early ’00s I was in love with Japanese styles such as gothic lolita and visual kei, and I still have my magazine collection from back then featuring some staples of the scene such as Mana and Moon Kana. I should post some scans at some point for nostalgia, there is some amazing street style and also adverts from classic brands such as Putumayo, H. Naoto and Baby The Stars Shine Bright. (#IYKYK)
Bora Aksu graduated from Central Saint Martins with a Masters degree in 2002, and his 2003 debut show was named one of the top five shows by The Guardian, leading to Aksu receiving the New Generation Award and a spot on the official London Fashion Week Schedule.[2]
15.09.2023 13:00 Edward Crutchley
Another Central Saint Martins graduate (2003), Edward Crutchley gained work experience at Betty Jackson and Pringe of Scotland, moving on to consulting work for Louis Vuitton, Kanye West and Richard Nicoll.[3]
Crutchley first launched his label in 2015 as part of Fashion East (more about that below), using a wide range of textiles such as English wool and Japanese silk.[3]
15.09.2023 17:00 Fashion East
Fashion East is an initiative lead by Lulu Kennedy to promote upcoming designers, and has seen past shows by designers such as Ancuta Sarca, Craig Green, Martine Rose, Simone Rocha and JW Anderson. One of the designers highlighted here in the AW2023 Fashion East images, Karoline Vitto, will be holding a catwalk show at Milan Fashion Week supported by Dolce & Gabbana. Last season’s designers are returning for SS2024 – Johanna Parv, Standing Ground, and Karoline Vitto.[4]
15.09.2023 18:00 Natasha Zinko
Lastly, I’ve picked Natasha Zinko, a graduate of Central Saint Martins, in Art and Jewellery Design. She was added to the official London Fashion Week schedule in June 2015.[5]
I went to New York earlier this year to attend a press day where I got to see her AW2023 collection up close – I’ll be posting pictures soon. There were other designers’ collections there too, including Martine Rose – I saw that fringed windbreaker in person and it was amazing!
