LONDON: Hot on the heels of New York, London Fashion Week opened Friday with veteran designer Zandra Rhodes setting the standard for the cohort of young designers hoping to make their mark.
The 74-year-old presented her Spring/Summer 2016 collection inside the gilded room at the Cafe Royal hotel, showcasing hand-painted designs in vivid pinks, blues and orange.
The collection included plant motifs slapped on trousers and dresses, and translucent pink visors.
The designer took inspiration from the "batik" fabrics of the Far East.
"I just want to show people how beautiful hand-painted things are," pink-haired Rhodes told AFP.
Leaving behind the institutional luxury of its former Somerset House setting, this year's Fashion Week -- London's 62nd -- will be based in the urban jungle of London's famous Soho entertainment district at Brewer Street Car Park, in the capital's historic red light district.
Seoul-born Jackie JS Lee was the first to unveil her collection at the new venue, showcasing her asymmetric designs accentuated by stripes running in all directions.
Her unconventional designs played with geometry, revealing one shoulder or leg at a time, and used colour sparingly.
Over five days, in the midst of bustling restaurants, sushi bars and sex-shops, the Art Deco multi-storey car park, built in the 1920s, will welcome more than 150 designers, with dozens of other shows and presentations taking place across the city.
"We just felt it was time for change, something new and exciting," Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council (BFC), told AFP.
"London being the capital of designers who are a bit more edgy and cool, it's quite a logical evolution," said Laetitia Wajnapel, alias "Mademoiselle Robot", a Parisian blogger and photographer based in London.
"Among the four big fashion weeks" (New York, London, Milan and Paris), London is "still the rebellious, avant-garde little sister," she added.
As always, London Fashion Week will offer a platform for young designers like Molly Goddard, Sadie Williams and Marta Jakubowski, strengthening the city's innovative reputation, according to fashion blogger Kristabel Plumme.
"London is definitely one of the most creative fashion weeks, perhaps because of all the renowned fashion schools and inspiring hubs in Soho and east London," she said.
'Classic Londoners'
All eyes will be also on established talent such as Jonathan Anderson, the artistic director of luxury Spanish leather goods brand Loewe.
The 31-year-old, considered one of today's most influential designers, will present the new collection of his own brand J.W. Anderson on Saturday.
The same day, fashionistas will take in the creations of Anthony Vaccarello, creative director of Versus Versace, while British fashion heavyweights Vivienne Westwood Red Label and Burberry Prorsum will present on Sunday and Monday respectively.
"The highlights for me are the classic Londoners like Margaret Howell, Christopher Kane, J.W. Anderson or even Giles and Joseph, who every season set the tone of trends to come," said "Mademoiselle Robot".
Kristabel Plumme predicted "an evolution of 1970s trends" already seen last year.
Fashion Week will also give prominence to new technologies, with live-streaming of many of the shows and a new partnership between the fashion label Hunter and video service Periscope.
Riding the social media trend, Burberry said it would hold a "first-ever Snapchat Show" for the platform's 100 million users ahead of the official catwalk on Monday.
There will also be an exhibition dedicated to Minnie Mouse and her influence on fashion and pop culture, with photos taken by model Georgia May Jagger, the daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall.
AFP
