London Fashion Week AW17 - Day 1

Following the rousing opening of London Fashion Week by the British Fashion Council and its calls for unity, Teatum Jones took to the catwalk and celebrated diversity with two disabled models walking in the opening show.

The British design duo Teatum Jones cast Kelly Knox, who was born without the lower half of her right arm and Jack Eyers, whose leg was amputated when he was 16, to model in their autumn/winter 2017 collection.

The show, entitled The Body, featured an original soundtrack that included an extract from Meryl Streep’s speech at the Golden Globes where she denounced President Donald Trump for his alleged mocking of a disabled journalist.

The collection itself was inspired by the surreal, anatomically unconventional dolls by German artist Hans Bellmer and featured mid-length dresses, mannish tailoring with trench coats with exaggerated sleeves and designs that highlighted seams and stitching.

The opening day also included the return of the “knit-meister” Mark Fast who took to the catwalk as part of the Fashion Scout showcased with his vibrant collection of sculpted knitted dresses in bright purple, blue and orange tones and jewelled detailing. One of the standout pieces was a baby blue midi dress with knitted fringing styled with an open-back cape.

Fashion Scout showcase Ones to Watch on opening day at LFW

Fashion Scout also presented its Ones to Watch with University of East London graduate Krasimira Stoyneva impressing with her use of synthetic hair, bold, star prints and contemporary designs as well as her Wear Hair Not Fur motto.

"My aim is to make an ultimate luxury alternative of fur by using synthetic hair. Using hair allows me to create an endless possibilities of colour and texture varieties in my garments,” explains Stoyneva. “It gives it stand out shout and incredible luxury feel. I believe that hair with all its potential will become new material to be used within the fashion industry. I would love to be one of the pioneers that made that possible."

Stoyneva was joined by London College of Fashion graduate Joanna Berling who referenced the sculpture of Berlinde de Bruckyere, in a collection that juxtaposes girlishness with an undercurrent of grotesque darkness. Nigerian menswear label Orange Culture combined classic western silhouettes with African sensibilities, while Central Saint Martins graduate Ru Chen showcased a sporty collection.

Other highlights came from Eudon Choi who was inspired by minimalist architecture in a sophisticated collection featuring volume and structure, while Fyodor Golan presented a playful, bold and colourful collection celebrating all things nineties citing Power Puff girl cartoons and using Post It notes to create a rainbow effect pattern to pieces, and emerging designer Billie Jacobina presentation was a pink affair with pink curlers, balloons, and layered multi-coloured outfits featuring abstract brushstroke, splattered paint patterns and embroidery details.

Images: courtesy of Fashion Scout, Fyodor Golan and Eudon Choi