AUTUMN WINTER 2016
February 2016 see’s the fifth season of Fashion International take it’s designers to the catwalk at the Amba Charing Cross hotel. The main objective of Fashion Internationals seasonal showcases is to give designers a professional platform through which they can penetrate new and existing markets and achieve greater sales opportunities, while also discovering and promoting new talent, styles and trends to the watching media.
The multi designer shows are styled to provide the participants with the setting, environment and ambiance to perfectly present their collections.
Cube Estonia & Custom Hair Accessories
Estonian stylist and TV presenter Anatoli Ein and Estonian designer Svetlana Agureeva created fashion brand called Cube. Versatility is the main idea of the brand CUBE. Confidence, personal development, diversity of interests, hobbies and breadth of progress are one of the many characteristics of a modern person, who is also not scared to take risks and make bold fashion statements.Scandinavian minimalism, sharp lines and brand embroidery are the features that define CUBE Estonia this season. With a strong colour palette including burgundy, pastel blue, pink and red as well as black makes for a very versatile yet wearable collection. Fabrics such as wool, neoprene, and jersey were used to create the AW16 designs.
This season the Cube Estonia collection is complemented by handmade accessories designed by Custom Hair Accessories (UK). Accessory brand “Custom Hair Accessories” based in Crawley, West Sussex collaborated with CUBE Estonia on making headpieces for their AW16 collection. The headpiece collection primarily made of Plexiglas, further extends CUBE Estonia’s fashionable clothing line and each pieces has been designed specifically for this event.
SasmithaDellawa
Journey to the New World
Canadian based designer, SasmithaDellawa joins London Fashion Week with her debut collection aptly titled ‘Journey to the New World’ to capture the essence of a new beginning, as well as her journey building up to the moment of her debut. The collection which consists of delicately draped dresses and outerwear exhibits intricately hand embroidered pieces by skilled Sri Lankan artisans.
The collection at its most bare portrays a moment of arrival. It embodies the emergence from an arduous journey, emotionally weathered, tattered and worn. Through the initial motif of aged flowers rendered into skeletons, the collection explores the uncertainty, fear, anxiety and desperation that was endured through the journey, ultimately emotionally stripping the individual bare to the bone, leaving them exhausted and vulnerable. This is further illustrated through the delicacy of the embroidery, the fabrics as well as the muted palette seen throughout the collection.
The final ‘dandelion’ dress stands in contrast to illustrate a child’s dream that set this entire journey into motion, and in a nostalgic sense completes the collection. It signifying the preserved innocence and optimism, and the realization of that dream as the first journey, over half a lifetime in the making comes to a close. The collection thus depicts the story of a new beginning, reaching the light at the end of the tunnel and finally walking into the new world.
Omar Mansoor
Omar Mansoor will be making his eleventh entrée’ of London fashion week. His upcoming collection will be an eclectic mix of Venetian funk made with hand woven KOYA silks.
The KOYA initiativeinspires to revive, re-introduce and even rehabilitate the dying craft of hand woven fabric. KOYA aims to provide sustainable solutions to artisans through creative consultation and pattern guidance to breathe new life into this dying craft.
Omar was impressed with the samples of finest quality heavy weighted pure silk- not available to European fashionistas and only displayed at the Victoria and Albert museum in London.
The Autumn Winter 2016 collection will feature sculptured silhouettes using the shades of pewter along golden. This collection will be styled by award winning blogger and stylist EditaLozovoska.
Forever Devine
Vanity Affair
Embrace the journey of a captivating tale of frills and lace that oozes grace and elegance, added with the seduction of sharp tailoring that has been abandoned from our time. Vanity Affair will leave you intrigued with a love affair of decades, a flutter of enchantment and a dash of mystery “for beauty is in the eyes of the beholder”.
Vanity Affair is a collection based on the 18th century due head designer Rochelle Melbourne’s love of the era. Melbourne has been working on a modernised look to suit not just the old era but also the new one we live in today with modern contemporary style and cuts. The collection also features looks based on three muses that Rochelle has picked from this era; Marie Antoinette, Queen Victoria and although fictional, characters from Pride and Prejudice.
A cutting-edge designer label with a sumptuous selection of unique designs, cut from the finest fabrics, Forever Devine will make you feel glamourous. Forever Devine was developed from a desire to create beautiful dresses influenced by haute couture and to rejuvenate the genre by creating a range of captivating designs tailored to the working woman. Currently an online brand, Forever Devine, also offers a custom design service which allows customers to decide exactly what they want their look and style to be.
Doris Asamoah
Doris Asamoah’s AW16 collection, “The Beginning”, was inspired by Barok Architecture in particular a prominent ancient Italian Versailles chapel and aims to embrace the idea of women’s curves. The Jireh Couture was founded in 2014 by native Ghanaian Doris Asamoah in Ghent, Belgium after a successful graduation from Syntra Fashion College Brussels. Asamoah’s vision is to offer value for modern fashion using state of the art technology tailored to customer and individual satisfaction. Doris was motivated to start a career in fashion and design after a neighbour in Ghana who used to encourage her to become a designer and would give her pieces of clothing to experiment with under her supervision.November 2015 saw Asamoah participate in Ethno Tendance Brussels fashion Week, and her participation in London fashion week is dedicated to her late mother.
AGA Couture
Dark Sunset
AGA Couture London is a fashion brand created by Agnieszka Klaput, a London based Polish designer. AGAs’ AW16 collection focuses on feminine evening gowns with delicate couture finishes and stunning two pieces.This season Agnieszka combines light materials such as high quality silks, lace and organza all in black, grey and gold colours.
The collection was inspired by the emancipate ladies and concept of contemporary femininity: strong, confident, and thus stunning.Klaput is a fashion designer and passionate tailor, an artistic and she has a creative personality.Her designs are feminine, elegant, designed to empower confidence and enhance uniqueness in women.’
Thomas Hills
Hairdresser, Thomas Hill’s has created each of the looks for the catwalk at today’s Fashion International Showcase.Thomas obtained his professional apprenticeship at Splinters in London’s Mayfair and, after 18 months, at the still tender age of 19, he set out on his own as a stylist. He began working his way up on a self-employed basis in a number of salons before ultimately joining a Wella Premier Salon.Wella is one of the most respected names in the industry and here Thomas learned the retail side of the business and was named Wella Retailer of the Year in 1999. He also had ample opportunity to prove his expertise in competitions, winning three young colour trophies.
After ten years of learning from the best and studying the industry from the inside, Thomas’ dream came to full fruition. In 2004 he ‘brought a little bit of London to Surrey’ and he opened his own professional hairdressing salon in Oxted.
Here he has trained another 17 stylists in the best 3.6.5 hairdressing approach and many of them have gone on to have successful careers of their own. Most recently in recognition that he is just one of a fantastic talented team, he rebranded the salon to THI in 2010.
Sonali’s Creations
Sonali is a fashionista who follows trends in the fashion industry obsessively and strives continually to adopt the latest fashions and style.
She has an eye for displaying the most stunning and unique designs that are in panache today.
This season Sonali’s Creations is showcasing a fusion of jewellery inspired by the era of Greek Mythology and the significant time of Cleopatra in Egypt. She has a deep love for both styles and cultures.
