Will Spring/Summer 2023 make a difference for London Fashion Week? Homegrown talents and titans like JW Anderson and others
In the year Since its inception in 1984, LFW has built a strong reputation for nurturing emerging designers while providing a creative platform for established brands. Even today, London differs from Milan, Paris and New York (all of which came before LFW), other cities that are home to the crème de la crème of fashion editors, influencers and stylists. London, on the other hand, prefers to use smaller names and the same fashion weeks, unlike the classic and hierarchical schedule, which maintains its sensibility and respectability. Almost 40 years on, the popularity of London’s originality has been a thing of the past for decades, and many are hoping that power will return for SS23.
Daniel W. Fletcher recalls Hypebeast: “Seeing this season’s line-up makes me wish I was 21 and starting at Central Saint Martins. “They made us come out and try and put on a show. There was a lot of buzz and energy back then.”
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The birth of LFW saw fashion activists thrown onto the international stage. Names like Vivienne Westwood and Kathryn Hamnett — the latter is the designer of the anti-nuclear war-defamation “58% don’t want to screw up” T-shirt, as The guard “Margaret Thatcher made her crow like a hen,” he reported – setting the tone for years to come and paving the way for some of the most famous aesthetic anarchists. Perhaps the most famous of them was Lee Alexander McQueen, whose performances in the 90s and earlier became industry legends.
In the year Until his death in 2010, McQueen’s shows would erase the guidebook of what could and couldn’t be done on the catwalk every season. FW97’s “It is a Jungle Out”, held in Borough Market, attracted attention for all the wrong reasons – it was recorded with vocals by punk-ravers The Prodigy and a car was accidentally set on fire. Fake shots commented on the scene where this scene took place. SS99’s “No. 13” sees Shalom Harlow walking around as robots spray her white dress with black paint as she gets “lonely.” [show] Properly made [McQueen] Cry.
As Susanna Frankel wrote other In the year In 2016, “It’s no news that London Fashion Week in the mid-to-late ’90s had fashion shows that resembled performance art more than any traditional runway presentation. Similarly, in 1998 Vogue Runway He declared, “It wasn’t a fashion show. It was performance art… When it ended, Harlow literally walked into the audience. Things With Potential” is, in short, an example of the creativity we’ve come to expect from the capital’s talent as McQueen honors and modernizes LFW’s anarchist roots.
Emerging designers of the time such as Christopher Kane held opening shows with a large presence at the top of fashion, while names such as Gareth Pugh – who echoed McQueen’s performance – continued to rise. And the British Fashion Council’s new generation of talent (which promotes emerging designers and aims to create international brands) such as JW Anderson, Craig Green, Molly Goddard and Stefan Cook have become headliners at London Fashion Week.
But after the outbreak, everything went south. The sharp turn to digital means many have had to find new ways to display collections. But despite the effort, few online moments have lived the circus that is physical fashion week. As designer Chet Lowe puts it simply, “London has had a rough go of it for the past couple of seasons.
Since the return of LFW IRL last September, the capital has struggled to capture the spirit we are talking about above. Big names opted for glittering displays in Paris or flipped shows in Milan, (like Bianca Saunders and JW Anderson, respectively) and even emerging designers found slots on other fashion week schedules. But with 110 names on fire for the September schedule, it looks like LFW is finally returning to its former glory.
“London Fashion Week has always been an epicenter of innovation, highlighting emerging designers who will become fashion powerhouses of the future. But what happens when the fashion powerhouses choose to show during LFW?” asks Stavros Karelis, founder and buying director of Machine-A. For him, it’s a unique opportunity for new and established names to sit side-by-side. “The Raf Simons premiere is an unprecedented opportunity to highlight the best of London, its culture and, of course, its supreme creativity. Simons is always understated.” He supports cultures, independent spirits and fashion in ways that very few can, so his presence can only create a unique platform that celebrates the best of London and brings this energy to the world.
Daniel W. Fletcher Fall 2022.Isidore Montag/Gorunway.com
Chet Lo Fall/Winter 2022.John Phillips/BFC/Getty Images for BFC
Stephen Cook Fall 2022.Isidore Montag/Gorunway.com
Menswear designers Stefan Cooke and Jake Burt echo Karellis’ sentiments. “We really feel good about the LFW line-up in September, especially Raf Simons whose collections are predominantly menswear as well. Adding weight to the strong designer line-up for LFW will re-establish London as the home of the avant-garde.
Designer Chet Lo understands that with big-name designers come big-name buyers – which has led to better visibility for lesser-established names. “It’s exciting to bring back such amazing brands,” added Lo. “They support young brands like ourselves and help new brands gain attention. Meeting producers and buyers in person in London [also] Really helping a lot of young brands.
In addition to being a highlight for everyone attending this season’s Fashion Week, Simone’s September presence is also a highlight for the designer himself. “It’s been a dream for a while to show in London – where fashion and creativity are everywhere on the streets and where I see people with unique styles,” he said in a statement.
Ultimately, SS23 holds the promise of reviving the same excitement that Fletcher recalled 10 years ago – a time when LFW had a unique ability to celebrate everything and everyone. “It looks like this season [that energy’s] Of course they are back,” he added. “London’s emerging talent scene is very strong but getting some big names back will help bring attention to London as a serious fashion capital.”
