London Fashion Week returned to the English capital from June 11th to 13th. The event marked the tenth anniversary of the June edition of London Fashion Week, which originally launched as a menswear event but was transformed during the pandemic into a digital-physical program showcasing both menswear and womenswear.
The event is more understated than London Fashion Week shows in January and September, focusing less on established big-name designers and more on emerging talent. In attendance were Agnė Kuzmickaitė, AGR, Ahluwalia, Carlota Barrera, Labrum London, Qasimi, Yuzefi, Robyn Lynch, Scott Henshall, Tiger of Sweden, University of Westminster BA and Ravensbourne University London.
The highlights at a glance
EGR
A highlight of London Fashion Week in June was AGR. The brand was founded in 2019 by London-based designer Alicia Robinson. The aptly named SS23 collection "Dripping in colour" celebrates the label’s journey from handmade knitwear for the Notting Hill Carnival to its London Fashion Week debut.
Shown at London’s iconic nightclub Fabric, the collection features prints inspired by German artist Katharina Grosse’s fabric installations mixed with references to ’90s sandblasted jeans, glittery swimwear and Sonia Rykiel’s iconic stripes.
The collection consists of recycled denim, metallic foil on crochet, tie-dye and knitted pointelle lycra. The bright colors were chosen with the clear intention "evoke positive emotions and promote mental well-being".
Labrum London
The spring/summer collection 2023 "Freedom of Movement" by Labrum London explores the idea of a borderless society and celebrates the merging of different cultures. The story is influenced by the legacy of the brand’s founder and creative director, Foday Dumbuya, who was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and grew up in London.
The influence of the merging of cultures and the blurring of boundaries is evident in the collections’ Mark Rothko-inspired color palette – shades of blue, green and brown gradually blend into each other, rarely interrupted by hard blocks.
Robyn Lynch
Dublin-born menswear designer Robyn Lynch also presented her collection at the June edition of London Fashion Week. Lynch is known for delving into her father’s clothing archives for inspiration. For this collection, however, she takes an emotional look back at her mother’s earlier clothes and draws inspiration from a t-shirt she brought back from a trip to Mallorca in 1983 and this "is generously decorated with neon smileys".
Lynch leaves the "ugliest, funniest and most charming" Souvenir t-shirts from around the world inspire and transform them into fine pieces. The collection features miniature crab embroidery on trousers and jersey pieces and a terry poncho – "a symbol of security and warmth that your mother always forced you to do" – reimagined as upscale outerwear in two-tone bouclé.
Textiles used include natural fibers and specially dyed nylon made from Seaqual yarn woven from marine debris. The summery color palette consists of brick orange, charcoal brown, sandy beige and mustard yellow.
Yuzefi
London-based ready-to-wear brand Yuzefi was founded in 2016 by designer Naza Yousefi. Making its debut at London Fashion Week in June, the brand presented a Resort 2023 collection that "beauty and imperfection" faces.
The collection features adjustable pants and exaggerated silhouettes, as well as flowing, bias-cut dresses in Japanese cupro, while sheer garments appear kinetically floating and "gently reflect the light as if it were water". Materials include feminine stretch satin, Gold Leather Working Group standard leather and other sustainable materials. Eighty percent of the collection is made from sustainable fabrics or leftovers, according to the brand.
The playful mix of relaxed and defiant is also reflected in the color palette, with pieces being reimagined in coral pink and contrasting red, interspersed with natural tones of cream and brown.
Qasimi
Qasimi, under the creative direction of Hoor Al-Qasimi, twin brother of the late founder Sheikh Khalid Al Qasimi, presented a Spring-Summer 2023 collection inspired by the Tuareg, Sahrawi and Sahel people.
The collection, presented as a digital film, combined "military threads, desert nomads, artistic subversion, technology with a soul, and the natural camouflage of mirage horizons". The collection featured rope macrame inspired by pearl divers and seafarers in the Gulf, and military elements such as US Army combat uniforms, Swiss Army work jackets, Swedish Army popovers and thermal zip pants.
Embellishments include Middle Eastern-inspired beads draped over tailored jackets and shirts, "which are otherwise structured at the collar and sleeves, add an oceanic texture".
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk.