Backstage from London Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2024, featuring a curated selection of dusky and alternative emerging designers.
Natasha Zinko invited us to The Camp, directed by Betsy Johnson. In a tent-ridden Soho Square, she dragged us through the mud of the polarised world united only by intricate underwear pieces, a gigantic duffel bag and survival-core. Away from the neo-predators, we enjoyed this modern utopia in motion.
Through threads of her signature corsets and distressed lingerie garments, Dreaming Eli summoned the Victorian Vampire. The transgressive, monstrous woman represents a bloody desire for freedom. Once muted pastels got scarred with red, encrusted hand embroidery, and dramatic drapings. Past seasons soft fantasy turned gore. It was an exquisite nightmare.
A collection balanced on the tipping point between “going to work” and “getting off work”. The subtle transformation process was coded in the deconstructed suits, hanger-bags and tie-garments. The further down the catwalk, the more the boundary between the formal and party wear blurred. It peaked ecstatically, at last, revealing Markknull ’s post-modern genius. In between work and play, truth and falsehood, the designer found a very sweet spot.
From Christs melted into solid silver chains and public bins sheltering precious pendants to a grill growing into a tree, The Winter House made us quietly suffer in beauty. The religious symbolism merged with minimalistic forms in make-believe London’s grim settings. Like the leaves and thorns stretching out of the classic shapes, we too felt an urge to follow this
The romantic wear brand wants us to feel loved in our own skin, our own shell. T LABEL wrapped the models in intricate armours made of up-cycled beads, imitating second-skin sheer textiles and brave sensitivity. The repertoire of garments explored what the ‘outer layers’ can be like when we show affection to ourselves, celebrating the inside-out growth.
In Florii, named after a Romanian tradition of gathering loved ones for a feast on the last Sunday before Easter, Sarca transformed nostalgia into a serene array of playful pieces: pink clogs, shiny shoulder bags, wafer-dipped high boots and pointed-toe sandals crafted from repurposed white leather car seats. It’s an ode to the circularity of material and memories.
Viral for their abstract metal work and tongue-in-cheek pieces, Kay Kwok continues their philosophy of Experimental Expression. The collection was a glorious mess of characters and styles, featuring both a chess-piece-like pink knight and head-to-toe leathered silhouettes. KWK sits on the verge of human and extraterrestrial, showing off bold, rooted technology visions of what we could be.
Credits:
Photography: Gabriel Monteregge / @lastevangel
Words: Alex Brzezicka / @_brzezicka
Designers: @natashazinko, @dreaming_eli, @marrknull_official,
@winterhouse__, @_tlabel, @ancutasarca, @kwkbykaykwok
Lee Ann Roberts / We are all connected