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If you’re not up to speed with Fashion East, here’s a quick recap of exactly who they are. Fashion East is an amazing non-profit organization that helps emerging fashion designers get their foot thoroughly through the iron door of the industry. It was established by the Old Truman Brewery back in 2000 and is made possible thanks to funding from high street brands Topshop/TOPMAN and The Greater London Authority. Every season they offer six places for three womenswear designers and three menswear designers to showcase their collections at London Fashion Week. Of course, they’re just starting out so to give them the best opportunity they can, Fashion East offers many perks to the chosen designers besides showing at the Capital Fashion Week including a bursary to help fund the collection, free runway show production including hair, makeup, models, video and photos. More than that, they also give mentoring advice and complimentary PR so needless to say it’s a massive accolade to be chosen.
It’s a tough job for Lulu Kennedy and her team of industry experts to choose exactly who will be given this opportunity but considering many previous winners now have established brands including Jonathan Saunders, House of Holland and Gareth Pugh, we’re sure it’s not a decision they take lightly. But finally, Fashion East has announced the line up of newbie designers for this season and we’re so exciting to see what comes down the runway from this talented bunch.
Charlotte Knowles – Womenswear
Image Via : Dazeddigital.com
A London College of Fashion graduate, Charlotte Knowles’s BA collection merged sportswear silhouttes with glamour and elegance. In her own words, Charlotte describes her aesthetic as assertive, futuristic and feminine as she experiments with texture and innovative technology in order to create unique surfaces for an avant garde feel. In an interview with Dazed, Charlotte explained that the way the body is revealed in her work has become a signature for her brand, “It’s our interpretation of sexiness and we try to do it in a way that is very considered and a bit unexpected and I think that’s quite a unique thing about the pieces.” No thanks to Phoebe Philo’s exit from the industry, female designers creating for women with women’s bodies and needs at the forefront is significantly sparse right now, something that Charlotte is passionate about changing.
Yuhan Wang – Womenswear
Image Via : Vogue.co.uk
Central Saint Martins graduate Yuhan is inspired by the painting of Chinese artist Gai Qi for many of her pieces. Taking the signature elements of Gai Qi’s paintings such as delicate outlines, maxi gowns with dreamy floating sleeves and subtle femininity, Yuhan infuses these ideas into her own work. The curves of Gai Qi’s women are never exposed and yet they are undeniably sensual, in a similar way, Yuhan plays with the concept of exposure and concealment. Although Yuhan started exploring this idea as part of her Masters collection, she also worked under JW Anderson (another Fashion East winner) who has also made a name for himself as the King of gender dismantling. Delicate and romantic with a large dose of weirdness thrown in for good measure, we’re exciting to see what Yuhan has in store for this season.
Gareth Wrighton – Womenswear
Image Via : Vogue.co.uk
Another Central Saint Martins graduate, Gareth joins the recent trend for emerging designers that come from non technical backgrounds. After completing his Fashion Communications and Promotions course in 2016, Gareth went on to study under some of the industry’s most influential names including Charles Jeffery. He first came under Fashion East’s radar before he graduated, radiating his audience with intense energy and sense of adventure. Unlike the other two womenswear designers who are back with Fashion East for a second year, Gareth is a complete new comer to the Fashion East family and brings with him a completely different point of view. His work is less about feminine elegance and subtlety and much more about pushing the boundaries of realism and virtual reality.
Stefan Cooke – Menswear
Image Via : Fashion East.co.uk
Another returning face to Fashion East, British designer Stefan Cooke is transforming mundane fashion staples into covetable and unique pieces. He plays with reconstruction both in silhouette and feel and his MA collection earned him the L’Oréal Professional Creative Award and subsequently the H&M Design Award. Stefan takes seemingly ordinary pieces and turns them on their head by changing the context and portraying them in an unobvious light, yet his work is still very much grounded in reality.
Mowalola – Menswear
Image Via : Thelovemagazine.co.uk
The first of two new comers at Fashion East, Nigerian designer Mowalola Ogunlesi of brand Mowalola, focuses on celebrating the culture and sexuality of black African males. Already making a name for himself outside of Fashion East, Mowalola has worked on costumes for Skepta as well as creating garments for Nigeria’s world cup. His aesthetic is popping colours mixed with a futuristic vibe and sportswear inspired silhouttes.
Robyn Lynch – Menswear
Image Via : Thelovemagazine.co.uk
Robyn Lynch, the final Fashion East first timer is an Irish designer who draws inspiration from her heritage, namely traditional irish cable knit and heritage print. Playing with what could be considered “safe” menswear silhouttes and traditional menswear pieces, Robyn adds her signature edge, instantly upgrading the garments and elevating them towards the runway. Her heritage is woven and knitted into everything piece she creates and her unique point of view stands out from the crowd. During her MA studies, Robyn worked under Phoebe English and Cottweiler as an intern, helping to inform her design work as well as potentially preparing her for this exciting new chapter in her career at Fashion East.
