Kingston School of Art fashion students present at LFW

More than 30 graduate students of the Master in Fashion programme at UK educational centre Kingston School of Art showcased their collections during London Fashion Week SS23.

Kingston School of Art is part of the University of Kingston in London.

The Kingston School of Art graduate show was presented digitally, in the form of a fashion film entitled Horizon which premiered on the last day of London Fashion Week.

With the video presentation, the school sought to celebrate the future endeavours and careers of Kingston’s fashion graduates.

Additionally, the graduates’ looks and portfolio’s were showcased at an exhibition at Gallery Different for industry professionals in Fitzrovia in London the day after the LFW digital show.

This edition of Kingston School of Art London Fashion Week showcase highlighted various themes, from “breaking traditional gender norms in fashion to celebrating overshadowed female artists,” the school said in a release.

Kingston School of Art students showcase collections at LFW

Yalei Elena Feng is one of the Kingston School of Art graduates who showcased her collection at LFW. She is currently launching her fashion brand, YEF Studio, with a menswear collection. In the collection she opted for traditional feminine and masculine colours, and combined this with low necklines, cut-out features and slim fitting garments.

"My collection is designed to empower men to express themselves through fashion," Elena explained in a release shared by the school. "I wanted to blur the gender lines by encouraging men to feel comfortable to experiment with their style and try new things that challenge conventional standards," she said.

In terms of materials, she used primarily black and brown leather for the garments with elegant pink thread and silver zipper detailing. This was alternated with a pair of pink fitted leather trousers for contrast.

Graduate student Isabelle Tustin took inspiration from prominent female artists and sculptors in the 1960s and 70s, such as sculptor Linda Benglis and artist Eva Hesse.

She presented a womenswear collection with elegant and modernist features, contrasted with bold, bright colours, and used fabrics such as cotton moire combined with silk to create movement and add texture to one-piece garments.

Zhen Tian, another graduate student of the Master in Fashion program at Kingston, created three-dimensional dresses using transparent layers of fabric as well as using patchwork creations to add detailing to her designs.

She took her inspiration from architect Frei Otto known for lightweight structures and the geometric shapes that characterised the work of artist Jens J Meyer, creating geometrically-shaped models inspired by architecture that sit on top of dresses and using a knitting technique called honeycomb stitching to create hexagonal shapes to sew pleats to her unique white dress design.

Richard Sorger, course leader for the Master in Fashion programme at Kingston School of Art praised this year's graduate students in the release. "Many of the students this year have produced contemporary garments that are beautifully constructed and desirable artefacts in their own right, which is something we encourage at Kingston School of Art," he said.

"Through the creation of high-quality and timeless garments, they are contributing to the slow fashion movement by producing something that people will buy and keep for a generation," the educator concluded his statement.