From JW Anderson’s arcade show to Nensi Dojaka’s sensual flower-inspired display and Halpern’s Barbie collaboration, here are the best moments of London Fashion Week.
London Fashion Week returned for the Spring Summer 2023 season, which took place from Friday, September 16 to Tuesday, September 20, 2022. The tentative digital-physical hybrid schedule featured more than 110 confirmed designers, including iconic British luxury brand Burberry, which returned to London after a brief hiatus, and RAF SIMONS, who made his LFW runway debut.
At LFW SS23, there were more shows staged outside of typical venues (such as the Old Selfridges Hotel), with many of the designers opting for unconventional spaces such as a casino arcade, abandoned hotel mansions, sports centers, third-floor parking basements, community gardens, historic courthouses, opulent monuments and fashion’s favorite space, the disused warehouse aesthetic.
From JW Anderson’s seedy Soho casino to Simone Rocha’s dramatic and glamorous collection, London Fashion Week has kicked off with a bang. Despite high expectations for an outstanding Fashion Week, London Fashion Week felt a bit “flat” with conservative looks and considered musical choices. However, there were some highlights from established and emerging brands, discover them below.
Stefan Cooke RTW Spring 2023
One of the most anticipated fashion brands – Stefan Cooke – presented its latest Spring 2023 collection at London Fashion Week. Stefan Cooke and his life and work partner Jake Burt showed off tightly compelling womenswear to offer for the first time. “We’ve been planning it for actually quite a long time and it felt right to do it. We wanted it to be really succinct, but also really tactile… It’s really amazing to actually do dressmaking. It’s more limitless and dynamic,” Cooke explained. The Designers introduced the well-known Miu Miu high-skirted minidress, twinset zip-up minis, denim and leather pants, zip, up off-white jackets, and much more.
Nensi Dojaka RTW Spring 2023
Albanian designer Nensi Dojaka debuted its Spring 2023 collection during London Fashion Week. The line featured delicate, négliglée-like necklines, cut-out bodices, and curve-enhancing silhouettes. Models walked the runway showing off powerful personality/style while emanating the king of self-assured sexiness that comes with just knowing how beautiful you look. The designer also presented plenty of newness by way of shimmering sequin fabrics, going-out tops, flouncy mini-skirts, slinky lingerie-inspired bike shorts, and much more.
Christopher Kane RTW Spring 2023
Creative Designer Christopher Kane is back for this Spring 2023 season. The designer presented his latest collection at London Fashion Week in the enormous Roundhouse venue in Camden. The show revisited many of Kane’s signature themes, including the mechanics and makeup of the human body, lingerie, and bodycon dressing. That’s why he presented a collection which was more of an anatomy class. Kane said he was thinking about “skeletal structures as an invisible shield, an armour. It was about protecting and dissecting the body and showing symbolical strength and power.”
Simone Rocha RTW Spring 2023
Simone Rocha’s Spring 2023 collection featured parachute tapes threaded through dresses and big, bubble-bomber jackets. There were also lots of airy, pale white-beige-pink layers of tulle, deconstructed corsets, flounced veils, etc. “This collection was very much a reaction to the last few years. It was very harnessing an emotion that felt like this kind of powerful, feminine statement.” and added, “There’s definitely pieces within the collection that I think people will feel potentially a response to the current situation. Because my original inspiration, back at Central Saint Martins, was this old tradition of the people of the Aran Isles,”
JW Anderson RTW Spring 2023
JW Anderson unveiled its latest Spring 2023 at London Fashion Week, challenging our virtual existences in its latest collection. The designer has been asking himself the question lately “Are we falling into the screen? Are we becoming our phones?” – that’s why, for the current season, he showed off dresses adorned with computer keys or a futuristic metallic orb while shirts boasted screensaver-inspired images. “I like this idea of a transient moment in time. I’ve been exploring this for several collections,”. He also added, “I think it’s really like an alternate universe, and there are layers and layers and layers to it. I think it’s probably about realism. I don’t think it’s about futurism. It’s more about a reflection of ourselves somehow.”
