Charlene Foreman
Updated: Feb 13, 2021
So, that time of the year again as London Fashion Week draws closer, finding ways to accomplish everything amongst the pandemic restrictions can be demanding at times. However, the innovative designers of Fashion East still manage to dedicate their time and produce striking, star-studded collections that are worth the wait. In this case, a digital-only event which has resulted in becoming the new norm.
So, if you are a fashion enthusiast like myself, join me in supporting the emerging designers from the talent platform Fashion East that has amplified up and coming creatives on the catwalk at London Fashion Week.
Showcasing future talent is something we can all be proud of seeing at Fashion East which has touched many designers over the years and has become the place to watch out for new and exciting creatives. Founded by the renowned Lulu Kennedy, she has been their guide and mentor in nurturing innovative designers on this platform that celebrates the exceptional young talent and their love for the industry.
It is not our usual arrangement for London Fashion Week in February currently. However, the budding designers continue to strike when the iron is hot and enlighten us with their design identity and creativity, making a name for themselves, achieve the recognition they deserve and showing their designs to the nation.
Lulu Kennedy is the incredible beacon of hope to discover the impeccable talent around us. Can you believe in the year 2020, Fashion East was celebrating its 20th anniversary of bringing together new up and coming talent of designers. The platform helped launch multiple careers of past prominent designers like House of Holland, Gareth Pugh, Richard Nichol, Christopher Shannon and to name a few - the new Gen of newcomers to Fashion East.
Considering our current situation, London Fashion Week will soon kick off next week for all of us to take a peek. Full access to the digital platform, collections and presentations but also interviews with designers and podcasts.
As this platform champions an exciting array of incredible design talent, Fashion East has chosen a selection of five designers who have prepared to show their AW21 collections. With still and moving images used, they will be showcasing their stunning pieces on the 23rd of February at 5.45pm on the London fashion week website and for the rest of us, we can watch the presentations in the comfortability of our own home.
Lulu Kennedy explains, “I’m excited by this group: the talent is so diverse. I’m in awe of the energy and optimism they bring to this year’s line-up. I’m seeing some of my favourite ideas and clothes coming through within their collections. I want everyone to know them like I do".
The new designers of Fashion East are Nensi Dojaka, GOOM, Maximilian Davis, Jawara Alleyne, and accessories label HRH.
Exploring an unusual take to sportswear, South Korean born designer Goom Heo adds a hint of romance in her imaginative collection and incorporating her influence on how Korean natives dress back home. The collection consists of exquisite performance wear that encapsulates smooth, soft textures of embroidery and other materials that bring this collection together.
“I didn’t appreciate it before; how cool people style themselves. But when I came back after studying in London, I found it very striking, especially the older people. It wasn’t about tradition or subcultures, more about people I saw on the streets in my hometown", explains Goom.
Maximilian Davis is no stranger to the Fashion East scheme. He gained an opportunity working with Wales Bonner and Dover Street Market and launched his collection with Fashion East for Spring/Summer 2020. With the attention of social media, retailers, and the likes of Rihanna and ASAP Rocky, Davis takes his influence from his Trinidadian grandmother as well as the beginnings and imagery surrounding carnival.
"I feel that throughout time, black people have not been in charge of their own narratives. We’ve been imagined one-dimensionally, when in fact, we exist in a variety of ways. I want to show people of colour in a regal way. Using tailoring and elegant clothing to build upon a strong figure", explains Maximilian Davis.
With the focus on leisurewear, London-based accessories brand HRH created by former gymnast Hannah Hopkins shares her taste for sport, design and art. With her background in gymnastics and figure skating, she has created a collection focusing on the textures of her one-of-a-kind hand-made creations which she has achieved several followers on her social platform.
Hannah Hopkins shares, "Every accessory comes from a desire to create delightful things for those around me that I love. I am endlessly inspired by my community and want to make them beautiful things".
Award-winning Jawara Alleyne captures the redefining of modern masculinity. Spending his childhood between Jamaica and Cayman Islands, his collections details stories of self-discovery. Searching for who he is as a person and possibilities in front of him to explore.
“I realised that identity isn’t something that you find or arrive at. It’s something that’s constantly in the works, something you create yourself. My work aims to share these dreams because, in order to imagine a new future, it’s important for black people and further people of colour to have autonomy over telling their own narratives and to see themselves reflected through their own lenses", explains Jawara Alleyne.
Let us not forget, Albanian womenswear born designer Nensi Dojaka who embraces the narratives of strength within her deconstructed silhouettes. Her pieces focus solely on female beauty and the well-crafted designs taken from the idea of lingerie. For this collection, you will get to see uplifting designs expressing the spirit of the female form.
“My woman is complex, she embodies a perfect marriage of severity and delicacy", shares Nensi Dojaka.
Words by Charlene Foreman