London Fashion Week Highlights: Flower Pots From Sneakers, Upholstery Suits, Sculptural Dresses

21.09.2023 - 04:15 / forbes.com / London

Biannual fashion extravaganza London Fashion Week has just wound up after a packed schedule of menswear and womenswear shows, spread across all corners of the capital. Highlights included established designers like Burberry, Paul Costelloe, Molly Goddard, David Koma and Malan Breton’s final show, plus a new crop of designers from BFC NEWGEN and Fashion Scout. London proved its credentials once again as the world’s most innovative fashion hub, with wildly creative designs that included flower pots and bags made from discarded sneakers, laser cut dresses, suits made from upholstery fabric, repurposed army shirts and football jerseys and much more.

Karina Bond’s signature pieces are made from laser cut organza which is sewn to create sculptural and luminescent futuristic dresses. Her new collection was inspired by Tim Burton’s fantastical film Edward Scissorhands. The 24 looks, in a delicious color palette of deep purple, vibrant coral and saffron yellow, each represent an otherworldly creature like Edward. Thousands of hand-beaded flakes, like fish scales, wrap around the body, while fur-like frayed bias panels of organza spread down to the floor. Cabaret performers brought the looks to life in a magical runway show at the Institute of Contemporary Arts.

The founder of All Saints has launched Stuart Trevor, a fashion brand built on sustainability that uses existing clothes, dead stock fabric, recycled yarn and organic cotton, linen and hemp that would otherwise end up in a landfill. Military shirts, overalls, leather jackets, silk pyjamas and more are reworked, rebranded, cut up, distressed, reimagined and handcrafted with care - patched, printed, sprayed, washed and embroidered. Stuart Trevor said ‘I have been asked multiple times about launching a new collection. I always replied “there are already far too many clothes in the world, the last thing we need is another clothing brand. What about a clothing brand that doesn’t produce any clothing?” And the result is not only highly covetable items but a new brand that’s good for the planet.

Asian American designer and 2020 graduate of Central Saint Martins BA Knitwear, Chet Lo presented a collection featuring seductive prints, a modern ode to ancient Chinese erotic art and Shunga.These prints are on knit lace trousers and satin devore tops. Also on show were knit lace mini dresses, second-skin skirts and white leather jackets. This season, spikes take on various levels of intensity; on babydoll tees and on maxi skirts.

Graceful fluid folds, dramatic split capes and sinuous waterfall drapes, Edeline Lee’s designs were beautifully showcased in a white-walled gallery. The brand’s core shapes are in bold colors, often accented with ivory hand-covered buttons