What went down? GUAP’s Highlights from London Fashion Week SS24 

London Fashion Week SS24 was filled with some of the most innovative runway looks we’ve seen this season. London Fashion Week is known for its eccentrism and cultivation compared to the three other fashion capitals, and this season it exceeded this reputation. This season’s LFW also seemed to have an inviting and warm atmosphere. The collection of distinct, fresh runways was inspiring to say the least. With major themes of sustainability, heritage, work-life balance and more, here is a rundown of our top four shows of this London Fashion Week.

MARRKNULL

The contemporary fashion duo TimShi and Mark Wang debut their Spring/Summer 2024 “Get Off Work” collection with a cohesive range of designs that reflected their theme of the bridge between work wear, and post work wear. The London based brand is built on the inspiration of their Chinese culture, and prioritises the main premises defining Chinese fashion, such as craftsmanship, identity and transformation. All of this was present in the collection. The pieces included denim office-core, experimental silhouettes and some optical illusions, especially the use of materials such as leather that looked like denim. Overall, the collection was a sleek, well-executed introduction to fun in and around the workplace and the message remained consistent throughout the show. 

MITHRIDATE

A collection ejected from nature itself is how I would describe the elegant SS24 Mithridate collection by Demon Zhang. The runway was full of pieces that reflect transcendence within our natural environment, and was inspired by a range of Zhang’s personal influences, such as her Chinese heritage and contemporary, maximalist style. The collection featured an organic colour palette of jade, salt pink, blooming yellow, cyan and many more. This was paired with equally as organic materials such as cotton, silk and linen, all of which helped execute the varied structures and aesthetics of each outfit. The show captivated all of our senses with soundscapes both from the music played and the bells that chimed harmoniously from the outfits, an enchanting botanical set inspired by Chinese medical herbs and a deep floral oud fragrance that lingered invitingly. This show was a beautiful symbol of how healing and rejuvenation can work freely through fashion and nature.

ASHISH

A 60’s, 70’s dream with the queer and colourful collection presented in the ASHISH SS24 runway. ASHISH triumphed this season with pieces that exuded glamour, nostalgia and culture. The fabrics were vibrant and draped with various embellishments creating a dazzling profile fit for a Studio 54 soiree. After nearly 4 years away from the runway, this fashion week comeback was nothing short of impressive. The set production created with artist Linder Sterling, carried out the surrealism theme that transported the audience into a utopian society where “Bejewelled forms of protest”, as the designer Ashish Gupta describes, manifest. We saw this in the silver jockstraps, bedazzled frocks, glistening saris and sequined animal prints, all of which contributed to this magical story of finding your uniqueness within your day to day. As well as this, the swan bed acted as a backdrop to add to this stylish narrative of frivolous fun with model Aadam Sheikh snoozing decoratively with gorgeous sequin underwear. This definitely was a dream that no one would want to wake up from.

PATRICK MCDOWELL

Last but not least we had the wonderful Patrick Mcdowell as one of the closing shows in this season’s London Fashion Week. The theatrical runway titled “A Tragedy Of Fashion” included an immersive performance with dancers of the Rambert Dance Company coming together to deliver on Mcdowell’s intrigue with the company’s history as well as his love of sustainability. The name of the collection was a reference to the dance company’s first production in 1926, which in itself is a reflection of Mcdowell’s love of referencing. The collection featured upcycled items such as garment bags from Rambert, prints depicting shoes of Rambert’s founder Marie Rambert, silks from a factory in Italy and tulle skirts worn by dancers years ago. This inventive and theme driven runway was enhanced by the spectacular show put on by the dancers who weaved their story into the collection by interacting with the models on the runway. The doll-like makeup look created by MUA Dominic Skinner was inspired by the 1920s era when the dance company launched. We can see this reference in the thin brows and mannequin skin, all enhanced by Skinner to emphasise this 20s ballerina look. This show was a perfect close to London Fashion Week and demonstrated style within sustainability.  

 

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