NEWGEN at London Fashion Week

NEWGEN, established in 1993, is one of the world’s most internationally recognised fashion design talent identification schemes. An internationally recognised showcase for the best emerging British fashion talent and is central to the British Fashion Council’s talent identification, designer development and showcasing programme. Since its launch, names linked to the NEWGEN programme include Alexander Lee McQueen, Matthew Williamson, Boudicca, Giles Deacon, Jonathan Saunders, Christopher Kane, Marios Schwab, Richard Nicoll, Erdem, Mary Katrantzou and Meadham Kirchhoff.

The scheme has become a key draw for the international fashion media and buyers attending London Fashion Week and we can’t wait to see the collections at this exhibition.

Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council commented, “NEWGEN has become shorthand for future star of the fashion industry. This season’s winners are some of the world’s mostinnovative new fashion talents and we look forward to seeing them at London Fashion Week in September.”

NEWGEN Emerging Talent S/S 2012

The NEWGEN recipients for spring/summer 2012 sponsored by Topshop are in the following categories:

• Catwalk sponsorship: David Koma, Holly Fulton, Louise Gray and Michael van der Ham

Holly Fulton - Catwalk Award Sponsorshop from NEWGEN

• Presentation sponsorship: Christopher Raeburn, Craig Lawrence, Dominic Jones, J.W. Anderson and Nasir Mazhar

Craig Lawrence - Presentation Sponsorship from NEWGEN

• Installation sponsorship: Jordan Askill and SISTER by SIBLING
• Exhibition sponsorship: Felicity Brown, J. JS Lee, James Long, Palmer//Harding, Thomas Tait and Tim Soar Woman

Felicity Brown - Exhibition Sponsorship from NEWGEN

All of the designers listed above under Catwalk, presentation and installation sponsorship will feature in the NEWGEN space of The Exhibition at London Fashion Week.

Sarah Mower, the BFC’s Ambassador for Emerging Talent, said, “This is the first crop of NEWGEN winners who’ll be designing for 2012. In the year of the London Olympics, they’re our best young design athletes: Britain’s Team Fashion, in training to represent this country brilliantly for next summer.”

NEWGEN offers catwalk designers financial support towards their show costs and the opportunity to use the BFC Catwalk Show Space. Others receive sponsored presentation or exhibition space to showcase their collections, offering an important introduction for young UK-based designers to influential press and buyers from around the world. NEWGEN also provides business and mentoring support through the BFC in partnership with Shoosmiths, Baker Tilley and Lloyds TSB.

Topshop continues its support of the NEWGEN scheme for the 20th consecutive season, supporting London’s diverse young fashion designers to showcase to a global audience. Topshop offers additional support to designers by providing show venues and commissioning special collections available during and beyond London Fashion Week. Topshop’s dedication to the support and growth of emerging talent remains unsurpassed.

London Fashion Week will run from Friday 16th September – Wednesday 21st September 2011 and will be located at Somerset House, Strand WC2. We’ll be front row at the up and coming shows and hoping to be reporting back from all the main shows at the BFC Showspace at LFW – Watch this space!

Images copyright to catwalking.com and London Fashion Week

London Fashion Catwalk Marathon

For the LadyM Presents team (now joined by best friend and photographer Rachel Bennett), day two started with a quick trip across central London to Islington for a coffee and a pain au raisin, before heading to the Islington Metal Works for the Untold Diversity Catwalk Show.

Untold – Fashion Diversity

The Islington Metal Works as a venue was simply amazing. The main room has an old London Underground train as the DJ booth and bar and is amazingly decorated. The LadyMPresents team will be booking in for some parties there in the future!  Untold, now in its seventh season at London Fashion Week were hosting the Fashion Diversity catwalks. This was the opportunity for up and coming designers to showcase their work and to celebrate creativity from a cross section of cultures.

Untold Fashion Diversity

On a small catwalk on a slightly grey September lunchtime, the runway was brought to life with an array of African Prints and edgy styles. Designers showcasing at the event included Mong, Nia’s World and Aamaa Couture. The Spring/Summer collections on the runway brought us a lot of netting and draping in basic colours. A neutral palette was very much on show, followed up with bold golds, reds and greens of African inspired print. The use of tulle and organza gave a feeling of freshness for the Spring season. City slick tailoring for women and a more casual preppy look for the boys was the theme of the day, simplistic, classic lines and a lot of closed pocket detailing by use of bold colours to outline pockets in turquoise and tan hues.

Untold Fashion Diversity

There was a lot of talent on show at the Untold event and with a platform such as the Untold CIC behind the designers, we wish them well in their voyage of discovery into the world of fashion.

Anya Wilkinson – One to watch

Next stop on the fashion marathon, The Strand Palace Hotel for the Anya Wilkinson catwalk hosted by Fashion Mavericks. The foyer was awash with fashion lovelies, fashionistas and journalists from around the world, all awaiting this beautiful SS11 collection from Anya WIlkinson, definitely one designer to watch out for.

Fashionistas mingle at The Strand Palace Hotel, London

LadyM Presents first came across Anya at the Clothes Show London in June and her AW collection has already featured on the site. We were eager to see the latest collection from this edgy, cosmopolitan womenswear label.

Anya Wilkinson S/S11 Collection

Anya’s collections always include her signature hand sewing and finishing and are instantly recognisable for overly large 3-D pieces in the designs. Key pieces for SS11 are a pastel green dress with square handcrafted shoulder piece and circle skirt giving a flowing feeling of summer carelessness and a pink rose dress finished with black binding, sophisticated 3-D detailing at the shoulder line and geometrical lines at the font. The colour scheme for Anya’s latest collection was fresh and light, pistachio greens, cappuccino, rose bud, all in sophisticated and feminine styles and materials.

Anya Wilkinson SS11 Collection

The collection was carried off with eyewear by Nicola Kate Williams, an interesting concept of leather design that matched the outfits perfectly. Anya Wilkinson is set to be a future brand leader in fashion in London and her SS11 collection was fresh, focused and highly wearable.

A La Mode Catwalk – Day 2

Our final stop on the fashion marathon was back to the Charing Cross Hotel for the LGN Events day two of A La Mode Catwalk. Designers showcasing at this fabulous event included Omar Mansoor, a evening dress designer of amazing skill. Combining beautiful flowing materials in pale lavender, midnight blue and ruby red with exquisite embellishment. His collection was simply divine.

Valery Kovalksa from the Ukraine brought to the catwalk a punk rock edginess in her collection ‘Professional Suicides’. The menswear was textured, layered and was an edgy urban look whilst her womenswear was a denim and leather mix, woven shirts and striking colours.

A La Mode Catwalk, by LGN Events

Belinda Liu of Romania, a self taught designer used texture and layering to create some fabulous pieces. Feminine style was back with lace capes, bows and detailing.

Also on the design list was Zed Eye, a designer from the UK who took much inspiration from her mothers boutique in Nigeria. Statement shoulders, strong African prints and complementary jewellery really set this collection apart from the rest.

Fabulous SS11 Collections, A La Mode Catwalk

The favourite designer of the night and someone who we are sure will be making a name for herself is Australian designer Kate Williams. Kate develops collections based on comfort and confidence and is all about promoting a womanly shape. Her SS11 collection featured high waisted, belted shorts, flowing dresses and statement prints. Casual style, but effortlessly chic, her style is reminiscent of Australian brand Mimosa but her collection is unique and one that we will be keeping a close eye on for next season.

Vintage Fashion as we consider it now, hails from the roaring Forties right up to the electro vibrant Eighties. With so much of today’s fashion trending throwbacks from a previous era, what will become of vintage in the future?

Future Vintage – Vintage at Goodwood

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has partnered with Vintage at Goodwood Festival to curate a “Future Vintage” fashion show. As part of this partnership, a selected panel of export fashion editors chaired by Sarah Mower (BFC Ambassador for Emerging Talent), chose five emerging ready-to-wear designers, whose collections qualified as “Future Vintage”.

Future Vintage catwalk show, Vintage at Goodwood

The catwalk show opened with a film showing the beautification of past fashions and the concept of design. With highlights of Zandra Rhodes prints and outfits modelled by Twiggy, from the past became the concept of Future Vintage.

Michael Van der Ham

Dutch-born designer, Michael Van der Ham captivated London Fashion Week with his Warhol inspired composite collaged dresses with his first collection for A/W 09. For A/W10 Michael has taken on the trend of mohair, sheer jacquards and satin organza to bring this vibrant collection of prints and sleek tailoring, with the potential to be a vintage of our future.

Michael van der Ham

Mary Katrantzou

Born in Athens and having moved to America to study Architecture and Textile Design, Mary opened the Central Saint Martins MA show in 2008 with a collection that mapped out her signature style around signal prints and oversized jewellery featuring on dresses. The designer launches a collection for Topshop at London Fashion Week AW10. Flowing silks with hints of colour blocking give a soft tailored look to evening glamour.

Mary Katrantzou

Louise Gray

Louise Gray is a hand embroiderer who first studied at The Glasgow School of Art and went on to graduate with an MA from Central Saint Martins. Louise has spent the past five seasons building up a label based on brightly coloured, boldly textured garments whose shapes are simple and allow for movement to take place. The collection featured layered knitwear and strong textures which will be popular this A/W.

Louise Gray

Holly Fulton

Ever increasingly popular Holly Fulton has an unmistakable signature style; lots of geometric pattern on simple cut garments with bold, luxurious embellishment and jewellery to complete a strong look. The ethos of her work is to capture a couture finish within a ready-to-wear range. Holly constantly pushes the boundaries of modern fashion with designs that may never go out of fashion.

Holly Fulton

David Koma

David Koma graduated with a distinction in MA Fashion from Central Saint Martins after moving to London from Georgia and won the Harrods Design Award in 2009. That collection attracted attention from the world’s media after being worn by Beyonce, Lady Gaga and Rihanna. David combines his love of contorted metal and heavy embellishments with the female silhouette to create sculptured, strong and powerful collections that retain high femininity and style. The collection combines felt with leather in simple black, golds and grey to give a sleek silhouette with some sculptured tailoring thrown in.

David Koma

All the collections brought something different to the catwalk. Visions of future vintage combined with pieces that are here to stay. Holly Fulton and David Koma proved they are designers to keep and eye on for this Autumn/Winter and definitely ones to watch for the future.