During London Fashion Week there was one show I knew I couldn't miss given my love of finding new labels and different fashion stories to feature in my work, and so it was that I headed off to renowned incubator of emerging and overseas designers Fashion Scout. The seasonal event has turned it's home at Freemasons Hall into a hub as important to the industry as the BFC's showpiece down on The Strand and this time round was no different, the runways were filled with the most incredible talent.
Add to that House Of MEA were due to continue their relationship with the event and I knew I was in for something special. House of MEA has the mission statement of "nurturing, promoting and incubating emerging and established designers from the Middle East and Asia" and for this season we'd be treated to Indonesian designers Vidhi Wadhwani, Jeny Tjahyawati, Lia Afif, Rupnidah Zarmidi, Ratu Anita Soviah, and Tuty Adib, and Indian designer Vidhi Wadhwani.
The designs which rightfully got to feature on global news channels as part of Indonesia's support for its Modest Fashion labels alongside their wider couture industry produced some of the most exquisite designs I've seen on the walks in a long time. Each designer produced not just stunning looks but demonstrated an understanding of fabric that many designers could well learn from. The looks all had life and drama, the tailoring creating constructions that ebbed, flowed and took on their own lives and movements as they passed by. The well-considered use of texture, print and pattern added to the statement piece effect. It's a hard task to layer and build fabrics especially when using a mixture of textiles but each designers craft has been built out of not just a good eye for line and cut, but a relationship with those fabrics to truly understand them.
This was also a first for London Fashion Week, the labels were the first ever full collections of Muslim fashion to be shown here and judging by the astounding beauty and quality of each designer's selections they won't be the last. One of the things I love most about shows like this is how it breaks down the occasionally insular world view of the British fashion industry. I've done 14 seasons covering London and it's easy to forget that outside of that little bubble there is a global industry and a huge variety of audiences, needs and desires, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that some parts of the world are just home to garment factories, House Of MEA shattered that illusion with this show.
I can't wait for next season, and what they have for us next.
House Of Mea, Bringing India & Indonesia To London Fashion Week
By Ross Pollard