LFW: 5 standout presentations for AW23

When it comes to fashion week, a catwalk format isn’t right for all designers, and a presentation can allow them to display their collection in a more intimate and creative setting. This season at London Fashion Week there were 18 on-schedule presentations, ranging from displaying 824 single sneakers to energetic dance performances, and FashionUnited shares its favourite five.

Helen Kirkum ‘Step Back’

Helen Kirkum Studio, known for creating new sneakers from repurposing old ones, hosted a presentation titled ‘Step Back’ where she showcased the brand’s production process and development of their unique re-worked Palimpsest sneaker.

Kirkum said she wanted to use the presentation to share insight into the production process and set the scene from their biweekly warehouse trips to source their upcycled materials. The result was four twenty-metre rows displaying 824 single shoes collected from a recycling centre in London.

“10 days ago, we had a completely different show planned, but it just wasn’t sitting right with me,” explained Kirkum in the show notes. “Looking around the studio, I thought it was important to capture what we’re confronted with every day and the greater purpose of the brand. The value of our products is in the story, so I wanted to show the beauty, texture and purpose of our products through the raw materials.”

The single shoes on display will become the brand’s AW23 production, producing 137 total Palimpsest pairs for the season. The collection will feature three new colourways, including wild moss, dusty stone and faded black, with a limited number available to pre-order from its website.

Ancuta Sarca AW23

Romanian-born footwear designer Ancuta Sarca, who focuses on upcycling footwear and accessories, returned to London Fashion Week with an autumn/winter 2023 collection inspired by AI and nature.

Sarca, Fashion East alumni and 2022 Andam Fashion Awards finalist, showcased her AW23 collection in the Old Selfridges Hotel space, incorporating sustainably sourced wooden logs encased in metal beams to illustrate how nature and technology can coexist harmoniously.

The collection celebrates the “splendour of nature,” explains the designer in the show notes, offering the brand’s key styles through a retro-futuristic lens, such as using vintage quilted nylon jackets on boots that were designed to withstand alpine temperatures and creating pointed-toe heels adorned with end-of-roll faux furs.

Additionally, there were square-toe loafers and booties made of deadstock leathers and sports mesh that carry over the previous seasons’ design language.

For the first time, Sarca also worked with denim in partnership with Lee, applying denim to backless pumps and clogs from repurposed denim jackets, alongside two form-fitting looks, also out of deadstock denim, including bralettes, detachable sleeves and a deadstock faux shearling trim.

Harri AW23

Indian-born, London-based menswear designer Harri, who made headlines earlier in the month for his striking inflatable outfit worn by Sam Smith wore to the 2023 Brit Awards, presented his autumn/winter 2023 collection with an energetic theatrical presentation.

For chapter two, Harri continued his tactile exploration of the boundaries of wearable art and garments, confronting his flamboyant and now signature balloon sculptural silhouette and crafting them into newly refined and more accessible shapes.

The presentation at the Old Selfridges Hotel was created in collaboration with KK Obi, founder of Boy Brother Friend, and offered a ‘Life is a Cabaret’ style performance to showcase how wearable his statement inflatable “balloon pants” actually are.

As well as his latex inflatable trousers, Harri also showcased his curvaceous balloon forms through new textures and fibres, adding tactility to his collection.

Completedworks AW23

London-based jewellery and homeware brand Completedworks from Anna Jewsbury, which documents the beauty and complexity of every day, showcased its autumn/winter 2023 collection with a presentation where the models wore beautiful jewellery and played with jelly.

Completedworks, which works primarily with recycled materials, was inspired by how we preserve, protect and hold on to everyday items, as well as the use of bubble wrap used to safeguard them.

This resulted in a playful presentation inside the reimagined grand house room draped and covered in dust, where the models wore pearl jewellery crafted in chaotic forms, silver and gold pieces that looked like they’d been crumpled in the move, and statement earrings and rings in topaz.

Toga Archives ‘Reveal, Inside, Liberation’

For Toga Archives’ AW23 presentation, designer Yasuko Furuta explored the feeling of being liberated from constraints, while offering safety and comfort in the garments, such as coats showing elements that are typically hidden to invite the body outside.

Against the backdrop of the London skyline from the top floor of One Hundred Hotel in Shoreditch, the collection drew a crowd for its impeccable tailoring and unexpected reveals. There were jackets tailored to open widely at the chest, shirting with manipulated cut-outs and bows to reveal what’s inside.

Other highlights included blazers with attachable ruffled hems, coats with faux fur trim with heavy embellishments, parkas featuring mirrored magazine pockets on the outside, and cropped puffer jackets. These were paired with collegiate V-neck sweater vests, pleated skirts, leather trousers, shirting with oversized collars, and dresses that look like they’d been twisted onto the models.