London Fashion Week Brands in Fun, Democratic, Wearable Collections – WWD

London Fashion Week is waking up: as the city earns the title of one of the four fashion capitals as “creative”, this season designers who survived the pandemic put on their business hats, embrace sustainability and diversity.

In this long fashion game, designers have realized the importance of creating collections that are democratic and inclusive.

Sophie Albo at Paul & Jo presented her collection for the grand ballroom at the Langham Hotel in bright pastel shades and pretty floral prints for the twee cottagecore collection. She was inspired by the children’s novel “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Albo’s simple tweed pieces and handkerchief-checked dungarees fit right into the wardrobes of young affluent women and their daughters in movie adaptations.

Rixo founders Henrietta Rix and Orlag McCloskey have launched their Spring 2023 collection in a UK size range of 6 to 24 – a key move for a mid-ranger like them, especially as Catherine, Princess of Wales wore your designs. The collection includes over 100 looks, which can feel like a chore to scroll through, but it’s exactly what their British customers want. Favorites Blake and Apple and Camilla feature bohemian prints reminiscent of vintage Biba styles.

A quiet figure in the industry, Phoebe English is busy making beautiful clothes of her own accord. She’s answering to no one but herself, and despite being thrown off by some of her stoics, the slow path has resulted in a friendly, seamless and lasting separation between men and women. If English continues this way, in By 2020 she could become the next Margaret Howell with a £150m brand.

For a new-gen designer, Phoebe’s Phoebe Vemmenby managed to strike the right balance between wearable and creative for her first physical runway show. Her collection is printed on tarot card references created in collaboration with artisans in Accra, Ghana and hinted at spirituality. Vemmenby was assisted by veteran stylist Karen Binns, who counts Bianca Saunders, Afrobeat artist Wizkid and Tori Amos as clients. Phoebe is stocked by retailers such as Brownie, Farfetch and Sense, a testament to her future prospects.

Alice Temperley of Temperley London is leaping over hurdles, moving from studios in Notting Hill to the countryside. She had to deal with the epidemic and stop shipping to Russia, where most of her sales came from.

“It’s enough to be a problem, but we’ve turned that around [Russia-bound] Stock to other places where there was interest,” she said. But the appetite for her opulent bohemian designs has lingered and she’s now branching out into glittering pieces inspired by Art Deco. Temperley’s sparkling tuxedos and glittering gowns are guaranteed to please the brand’s British aristocrat and tatler-tough clientele.

Sun House founder Sunny Williams has been making noise with Gene-Z’s audience. The brand, which presents off-schedule at London Fashion Week, has built a community of psychedelic knit cardigans and dresses – and fans of the label include Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner.

In the year Since launching the line in 2011, Williams has dedicated himself to creating two collections a year in small pieces, a sustainable practice that has lasted for more than a decade.

His Spring 2023 collection was also slow moving. He titled it “Take Your Time” based on the mini vacations: tiny fruits printed on bikinis and off-the-shoulder sweaters; pink sunsets on oversized shirts; Green and blue gradient zip jackets to mimic the crystal clear sea, and large bags for day and smaller versions for night.

Making her solo debut in London, Romanian shoe designer Ancuta Sarca, a finalist at this year’s Andam Fashion Awards, delivers beautiful, well-crafted footwear that lives up to the brand’s popularity and innovative ethos.

Models wore specially-designed skims bodysuits next to macho motorbikes, back-to-back heels with Nike sneakers, aqua sandals, sneaker sandals, and Sarka, in collaboration with the VF Corporate-owned brand, showcased a pair of Vans signature checkerboard slip-ons and Sk8-hi-style loafers.

Paria Farzaneh took the fashion crowd to Phoenix Gardens in central London for her first runway show in two years. For her last show, she blew up a field in Amersham with a military-inspired look. At this point, Farzaneh seems to be in a stable place, looking at the many nomadic tribes that live in Iran, where her parents came from.

She also used the bold colors and patterns used by this group of people who still reject the mainstream version of modern society to build a collection around diversity, inclusion and courage. They included a bold red top with side slits, layered blue shorts, and a lace blouse with a round neck.

South Korean fashion designer Gom Heo, nominated for this year’s LVMH Young Designers Award, released his spring 2023 menswear collection in a lookbook at London Fashion Week. The designer presented hyper-sexy acid-washed denim pieces that looked like they were made for the Spartans or Lil Nas X.

Heo was inspired by the negative works of Swiss photographer Karlheinz Weinberger. In the 50’s and 60’s Weinberger’s raw, rebellious mentality came through in his visual books, the power of the gay imagination was off the charts.

Calypso, an Afro-Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago in the early 19th century, was the inspiration for Nicholas Daley’s Spring 2023 menswear collection. Look at how these calypso music artists dress and then put a personal and modern spin on it.

Key pieces this season were high-waisted trousers, open-necked shirts and five-pocket belts, and in paisley, floral and zigzag patterns. The color palette was inspired by Belafonte’s sun-drenched album artwork, and the lookbook paid homage to Irving Penn’s “Little Tradies” series.

While a handful of designers have taken to business strategy after a short hiatus from London Fashion Week’s schedule, Turkish-British designer Dilara Finikoglu stuck to her guns for her comeback runway show after taking a break. Her shows, along with music and theatrics, have a fun way of entertaining while at the same time getting you involved in the clothes her characters wear.

This season there was only silence from the jingle of bells and the occasional rustle of cloths being dragged across the old floorboards. After the event, Finikoglu said that she wanted to reflect “the feeling of the whole ensemble”, after all, after the global collapse of the game and the cost of living, the last thing anyone needs is to reflect on how terrible it is. It may be true.