The emerging designer shows on our mind post Fashion Month

Collections being too commercial is this Fashion Month’s most common critique. But in London — now bereft of many larger names who have upped sticks for the continent due to post-Brexit import and export regulations and the rising costs of putting on a show — a space has opened up for more outlandish-style creations to be made. A wave of international designers is coming to Britain’s capital and ushering in a louder, costume-like aesthetic, where personal histories and cultural identities shape the bones of each collection. It is a type of fashion that tells a story above all else. One that builds a world where you’re given the freedom and encouraged to think differently.

FJU Talents

Complex geometric silhouettes and intricate knit detailing were the standout elements at the FJU Talents show. The platform, created to boost the global visibility of the most promising fashion alumni from the Fu Jen Catholic University in Taiwan, spotlighted four designers: Wayne Knitted (Chih-Wen Kuo), Juanpak.o, (Juan-Juan Xu), E.JEN (Yi-Zhen Lin) and Chuoru (Ying Chu). Eyes dropped down during Wayne Knitted’s Sediment collection, as leg warmers, knit-denim split jeans and weighted hemlines became the central focus. The designs maintained a wafty air despite the intricate woollen detailing. Art met fashion in the Inter shadow collection from Juanpak.o. Bold colours waved through bending silhouettes in a set of structured dresses that captured the fluidity of human interaction. The Vivid Swirl collection from E.JEN was playful in both shape and colour, as the predominantly striped elastic fabric delicately pinched and draped at the body’s most angular points. The result was a kaleidoscopic accentuation of soft female curves. There was a transcendental, bird-like feel to Chuoru’s Liminal Form collection, with a selection of complex feather-esque knitted structures that glided down the runway. Yet it was the combination of soft tones, punk-inspired hairstyles and leather gloves that gave the show its tantalisingly unique edge.

Flair Fashion

The minimalist streak sweeping runways this season largely met its death at Flair Fashion’s Unfold and Ignite showcases. The platform, dedicated to supporting emerging talent who champion sustainability and technology in their creations, presented fourteen designers in two evening showings. Layering, bold patterns and costume-like creations dominated the catwalk. Fée Muse dropped the idea that leopard might not be the only neutral; Weve2050 proved that sheer is still relevant with a white slip, voile-panel dress, paired with a mud-coloured ruched cape; and Jean-Louie Castillo brought fantasy drama to centre stage with a Maleficent-esque spiralling black branch dress. Notable looks were the cobalt blue PVC dress from Etnik Shala and the notebook shirt from Fan Pan.

Genaro Rivas

Divine hues of red and gold defined Genaro Rivas’ spiritual presentation of his SS26 collection, A Golden Shroud. Driven by a desire to reinvent the concept of death — not as an end, but as a transformation — the Peruvian designer blended religion with punk, taking the audience on an unconventional visual journey, inspired by Tadeo Escalante’s murals in the San Juan Bautista de Huaro church. A clerical robe-inspired cape, a lace-up halter dress and matte black stud spike chokers all flooded the runway. The precise 19:19 show start (the symbolic number 19 informed the entire project), 3D-printed accessories — like the gold chest protector — and angular silhouettes emphasised the show’s dedication to disseminating narrative.

Hengdi Wang

Hengdi Wang’s SS26 presentation exists in the gap between the human and the cosmic. Through the futuristic bejewelled body suits and elfish spiked earpieces, the audience was forced to rethink their interpretation of dressing. The hypotopic swirls and light-looping wings of Wang’s Exogenisis collection transported you into a mystical realm. 3D printed textiles and sacred-geometry inscribed metals compounded this as an out-of–this-world show. It was a masterpiece in fashion storytelling — something the brand is becoming both known and loved for by celebrities, including FKA Twigs.

Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch 01

Fashion Scout’s thirteenth showcase was a playful extravaganza of bedazzled lapels, belt-like miniskirts and moon bralettes. The six rising international designers, showcased by the platform, presented a selection of creations shaped by architecture, heritage and cross-cultural dialogue. Armenian designer (and fashion scout one to watch winner) Kim Lin’s bubbling jackets and buckled miniskirts confidently warped the typical definition of preppy. The cracked texture mini dress, knee-high boots and slinky bandeau tops from Jaoka Jaokha had a Y2K vibe, sure to be lapped up by the masses. Sonais’ inventive pairings, like her white sheer panelled maxi skirt and lobster accessory look, prove that basic staples are king with imaginative styling.

Poet-Lab

Designer Director Giuseppe Laciofano’s SS26 show blatantly bleeds its founding message — fashion is resistance, fashion is freedom — through the collection’s (Resistant When Opposites Break) lack of an obvious coherence. Breast-exposing floral shirts, cinched black coats, dangling geometric headpieces and a puffed cloud mini dress all mingled on the runway. Though in the details of the silhouettes, of rigid shoulders and angular hemlines, a beauty centred in defiance and contrast was born. Drawing inspiration from the Futurist manifesto, a declaration wanting to free art from traditional constraints, Laciofano reimagines the definition of collection, encouraging us to find power in the dismantled.

Tifaret

Ruched shoulder pads, poking collars and draping neckties bring focus to the decolletage in designer Chiyue Da’s SS26 presentation. Models clad in floating silk pyjamas and tailored coats followed one another in a structurally dynamic show that blended British and Chinese culture. Echoing the memories of Da’s mother, who would watch the day unfold at Shanghai’s international trade port, floral fabrics and muted tones sat side-by-side in cropped tailored co-ords and pea coats paired with skirts. The Pai Tou collection feels dainty but somehow robust thanks to its clean lines and billowing sleeves.