My London Fashion Week, One Man's Diary Of Sore Feet & Great Clothes - Ross Pollard
I thought as I've just been rushing round London Fashion Week looking at so many collections that even I came close to fashion fatigue I'd give a quick and handy guide to some of the best designers I saw and hope you'll like. Many of the designers are emerging talents in the industry and I've included them as ones to watch. After 7 years on the fashion beat it could be easy to get jaded or lose enthusiasm but I have to say, this was the season that fun, colour and joy returned to the catwalks.
Apu Jan
Apu Jan is a real fave of mine, he does beautiful elegance that season after season blows me away. The Taiwanese designer now based in London is a master of the perfectly cut line and a lightness in fabric that few can measure. The dreamy quality of the collection once again marked him as one of the very best designers showing in London.
Claire Tagg
A winner of one of the awards given every season by Fashion Scout, Claire Tagg brought bright and bold to her presentation. Florals, fuchsia and whites reminded me that spring and summer are on the way and these are perfect youthful looks for the seasons.
Edeline Lee
There was a mixture of print and block colours at the presentation but I've picked the block colours here. These looks are sumptuous, deep and natural. They resonate with an earthy touch that roots them in the natural world that inspired them. Each holds the task of being understated but statement, many try, but Edeline Lee is one of the few to consistently not just succeed but excel at it.
I Am Chen
I Am Chen was in the ones to watch catwalk at Fashion Scout and it's easy to see why, these are just a joy, fun knitwear that also just looks amazing. One of the privileges of this job is that I get to see the early collections of future stars, and I Am Chen is a label that I'm convinced will become a star.
Jamie Wei Huang
Genius, pure and simple genius.
I recently commented on social media that Taiwan keeps producing the very best designers, in fact there are three on this list and Jamie Wei Huang is one of the very best. Her playful sense of fun and style is a smile in an outfit. Her ability to deconstruct and rearrange garments and materials means that each look has it's own identity, individuality and iconography. Quite simply one of my fave designers working right now.
Malan Breton
The 3rd of our designers in the list with roots in Taiwan, Malan Breton is the master of pattern and beauty and again this season has created a collection that is just gasp after gasp of delight. The detail is what lifts these looks from clothing to art. Fashion should at times be considered art and Breton is as much an artist as Picasso.
Mimi Tran
Fun, fabulous and fiesty, if a collection was a popstar it would be Mimi Trans. Her unbridled happiness in her collections just screams a good time and you'd struggle to frown around any of these looks. Mimi is the Queen of having the best time ever fashion and knows how to add pizazz and sparkle better than almost every other designer.
SOE Jakarta
Simple, natural and with bags of style, SOE Jakarta is steeped in the themes of Wisconsin painter Georgia O'Keefe. The natural colours, the fabrics almost twisted and draped to pay homage to her love of flora and fauna, it's taking the notes of one of the worlds greatest painters and turning it into wearable beauty. This is a collection for the modern woman and one of the best full wardrobe collections I saw this season.