Fashion Scout, the international showcase for fashion pioneers, is delighted to showcase the four winners of The Ones To Watch Award for London Fashion Week AW19; 1×1 Studio, Aurélie Fontan, Bowen Hu and Shie Lyu.
Ones To Watch winners were selected from long list of up and coming designers. Fashion Scout’s One To Watch Award provides a unique platform for the brightest new designers, with many becoming reputable labels in the international fashion industry.
The judging panel consisting of industry experts including Martyn Roberts – Fashion Scout’s Founder and Director, Costanza Lombardi – Next Gen Buyer at Browns, Kendal Robbins – Senior Programme Manager at British Council, Lizzy Bowring – Catwalk Director at WGSN and Scarlett Conlon – Deputy Fashion Editor at The Guardian, gathered to make the decision at selection panel in November 2018.
Created in 2014, this collaborative show is now in its 12th season and continues to be one of the most anticipated shows during LFW. Ones To Watch plays a crucial role in raising the profile of emerging design on a global scale. Previous winners include; Eudon Choi, Georgia Harding, Phoebe English, Typical Freaks, Joanna Berling, Helen Lawrence, Ji Won Choi, i-am-chen and EDDA, alongside SS19 winners; Price on Request, Aucarre, and Nous Etudions.
AW19 Winners:
Aurélie Fontan
Paris born, London based designer Aurélie Fontan launched her eponymous label in 2018, firmly establishing herself as an sustainable fashion designer, with a focus on bio-design and circular economy (including zero-waste production methods in texture making and cutting). A fashion graduate from the Edinburgh College of Art with an additional background in Art History, Aurélie’s work represents the “techno-craft” concept, where feminine, inspirational and eco-friendly luxury womenswear is produced from the latest technology and unconventional techniques.
After obtaining 6 nominations at Graduate Fashion Week, including three main awards in Womenswear, Sustainable and Ethical and Catwalk Textiles, and scooping an additional award in the Michael Kors Accessory Design Competition, she was commissioned by SAMSUNG to make the first 90% recycled and biodegradable Couture collection, entirely designed and manufactured through a smartphone. Her intriguing digital tailoring and ethical practices have been featured within major international publications including Hunger, i-D, WWD, Elle UK, Vogue UK, Elle Italia. Since launching Aurélie Fontan in 2018, the label has been constantly searching for new innovations and ethical development techniques. Her graduate collection, was engineered in a science lab with the help of grown yeasts and bacteria, 100% biodegradable Kombucha, which she grew herself.
The A/W19 collection stands as utopia for the fashion of the future. A fashion that builds on technology and craft to reach sustainably and ethically produced luxury clothing. From living organism creating textiles to drawing robots, these highly feminine and textured silhouettes demonstrate how circular economy and innovation can be combined in luxury RTW and couture. The collection includes a bio-designed dress from bacteria, recycled materials and four fully recycled leather outfits, none of them being sewn together but rather linked through innovative re-usable elements that allow complete disassembly and recycling. Part II of the collection has entirely been produced through a smartphone, as a challenge to push technology boundaries in the service of sustainability.
Shie Lyu
Originating from China and having lived in Sydney, Tokyo, New York and London, Shie’s eponymous label, personal identity and design aesthetic has been formed and inspired by traveling the world for over 12 years. With a background in finance and accounting, Shie has a passion for meticulous construction and sculptural silhouettes which remind her of composite index curves and cubes in financial charts and mathematical models. The label is known for its intricate use of unusual industrial materials like molded Perspex, rubber, and heat shrink industrial tubing to create its textiles and contrasting colourful embroidery and beading by haute couture techniques.
For the AW19 collection, Shie play the role of a mathematician who use her precise ‘formulas’ and ‘tools’ to create a new modern and romantic couture collection. She asked herself ‘What can a mathematician innovate in fashion?’ She uses her mathematical way of thinking throughout the whole process of design whilst taking inspirations from Moholy Nagy’s light display installations, previously on show at Guggenheim Museum.
Following completion of a Fashion Design Masters at Parsons in New York, her graduate collection went on to showcase at NYFW. Her designs have been featured in international publications including; Vogue Runway, CR fashion book, Vision, Paper magazine and 1Granary and the label was listed as a 2019 semifinalist for the H&M Design Award and winner of the 2018 Eyes On Talent Award as well as CFDA+ 2018.
1×1 Studio
1×1 Studio is a luxury menswear brand established in 2017, which creates playful 3D textures in knitwear focusing on craftsmanship and creative knitting techniques. The aim of the brand is to bring out a new fashion cycle by working closely with other talent in order to give new horizons of each collection. The label is currently, working with one experienced UK-based menswear designers Wei Yao Lin. Wei has an innate sensibility of materials and focuses on visual and silhouette of the design.
Founded and lead by Taiwan born, London based Yi-Ling Kuo, a London College of Fashion graduate, 1X1 Studio uses recycled materials, specialist yarns and crafted knitting techniques in hope to raise awareness of undiscovered territories. Since graduation, Yi-Ling has worked at Mary Katrantzou and Julien Macdonald, later winning the FDC Young designer Award and presented her first presentation in New York in May 2017 where her work was featured within GQ, LOfficial Paris, phoenix, schon! to name a few.
1×1 Studio aspires to create a blended vision in knitted and woven apparels targeted at male with a sense of twist from formal to casual with a subtle playfulness and streetwear apparel. Infusing structural designs with an exquisite touch of detail by continuously experimenting and exploration in woven textures. All designs are produced in the UK using high-standard authentic and sustainable materials from England, Italy and Japan. The brand prides themselves on rethinking strategies to reduce waste whilst designing and producing. Being conscious about the rapid cycles of fashion so they apply recycled materials and reduce waste whilst designing and producing to maintain sustainability.
Looking back at the state-of-the-art technology from the present to the 80s, 1X1 Studio can see the widespread belief in a scientific and technical future. Interpreting the belief into the AW19 collection by studying the architecture, art, film and lifestyle at that time. Meanwhile, the legend of Icarus from Greek is used to explain the relationship between human and technology. The idea of “don’t fly too close to the sun” from the myth corresponds with human attitude towards science and technology in real life situation. No matter in the 80s or present, people are always being reminded for not to rely too much on the convenience brought by technology in daily life.
Bowen Hu
New York based designer Bowen Hu’s designs are strongly influenced by her understanding of personalities and psychology. She focuses on unisex collections with an innovative approach to textile, color and silhouette. Her ideas of design tend to psychologically or physically support the wearer and environment, and its interaction with the garment itself. Alternatively, the garments can be exhibited as an art sculpture individually due to their high level of detail and artistic skill.
Bowen’s textile background at Central Saint Martin is the inspiration for her collection’s study on unique surfaces. All textiles are handmade with a ‘side on’ layering technique, using the edge of the fabric as the final surface to the garment. Her designs are paired with a background story and a music sound track that she made. The purpose of that is to make her audience fully interact with the garments in sense by seeing, touching and listening.
Her AW19 Collection ‘Lucid Dream’, takes inspiration from the world of one’s subconscious mind and brainwave patterns. Research was undertaken into dream analysis with every garment being given background story of a personal dream. Neutral and settling colours, run throughout the collection giving the viewer a relaxed feel.
Originating from China and studying at both Central Saint Martins and Parsons in New York, Bowen spent time working at The Row and Julia Jentzsch before launching her eponymous label. Her work has been seen in Vogue Italia, Paper Magazine, Trend Prive and Document Journal to name a few.