Westminster University Graduate Fashion Show witnessed a talented generation of young designers showcase their innovative collections before an audience of industry professionals last week on the twenty sixth of May in Marylebone, London.
Ambika P3, an impressive fourteen thousand square feet underground space, hosted the fashion show where sixteen emerging fashion designers sent their collections down the runway. The dimly lit open space has a warehouse-like feeling with a minimal aesthetic. High ceilings compliment vast empty wall spaces, while a steel staircase invites you underground into the vivacious area. On the night of the show, rows of black wooden benches were bursting with eager industry professionals, university tutors, students, parents, and fashion enthusiasts alike, while a team of photographers gathered together at the bottom of the runway ready to focus intently on capturing the fine details of each garment.
Highlights of the show include Liam O’Sullivan’s womenswear collection which challenges conceptions of shape and proportion. A wide variety of fabrics, textures, and techniques make this collection stand out above the rest, with one look even consisting of over three thousand plastic tea stirrers. Victoria Hopcroft, who also chose to design womenswear, sustained a consistent predominant blue and black colour palette throughout her collection, but used a combination of different fabrics, textures, and cuts to differentiate between each design. Only-just-visible fishnet tights bled through from underneath realms of luxuriously detailed textiles. Another notable womenswear collection from the show was by Christopher Pak, who designed oversized clothing that concealed the natural shape of the body, in juxtaposition to visible and invasive stitching that revealed a character. Few collections on the runway were menswear, but those that were certainly made a statement. Pip Paz Howlett designed a series of elaborate clothing featuring vivid colours and busy prints.
Restrictive-sized headwear was a signature accessory to the collection; making an appearance in every look. In contrast to Howlett’s vibrant collection, Jack Byne designed a menswear collection consisting of muted colours, but a similarity between the two collections is that they both followed an androgynous style. Byne’s designs focused on a tailored-like style on the top half of the body, and a baggy fit on the bottom, full with movement. As the show drew to a close, you could feel the excitement in the room after we’d all witnessed such a refreshing take on fashion. A big congratulations is in order to all of the fashion design students who are graduating from Westminster University this summer.
We wish you every success in the future.
Student portfolios are available to view online at www.westminsterfashion.com
Photographer: Aiden Harmitt-Williams
Words by: Kristie Smith
