Fashion Scout, the international showcase for fashion pioneers, is delighted to announce the four winners of the globally acclaimed Fashion Scout Ones To Watch Award for London Fashion Week SS20; Gala Borovic, IA London, Studio Adaptive Skins and AV.
Created in 2014, this collaborative show is now in its 13th season and continues to be one of the most anticipated shows during LFW. Fashion Scout’s Ones To Watch Award plays a crucial role in raising the profile of emerging design on a global scale. It enables emerging designers the freedom to express their vision and build brand awareness and gives the opportunity for four designers to showcase their creativity to an international audience of buyers and media. Previous winners include; Eudon Choi, Georgia Harding, Phoebe English, Typical Freaks, Joanna Berling, Helen Lawrence, Ji Won Choi, i-am-chen, EDDA, Nous Etudions alongside AW19 winners; Aurelie Fontan, Bowen Hu, Shie Lyu and 1×1 Studio.
Fashion Scout’s Ones to Watch provides a unique platform for the brightest new designers, many of whom go on to become established labels in the international fashion industry. Selected from hundreds of applicants by a judging panel, the four winners, drew attention to from industry experts including Martyn Roberts -Fashion Scout’s Founder and Creative Director, Contanza Lombardi -Next Gen Buyer at Browns, Niamph Tuft –Fashion Revolution and Hannah Craggs –Youth Trends Editor at WGSN. Using their expertise, the judging panel gathered in June 2019, spending the day looking through designs and portfolios to establish this season’s Winners.
AW19 Winners:
AV
Originally from Pessac, in the French Bordeaux’s suburbs, Vincent Lapp launched his couture label in 2018. Dedicated to creating mindful fashion, raising polemic, tackling society absurdities and engaging in essential struggles such as sustainability. A fashion graduate from Central Saint Martins, his collection was developed as a statement against fanaticism and religious obscurantism following a satirical approach, and received acclaim in Dazed, Vogue Italy and 1 Granary, alongside Richard Quinn selecting the label for his Love Magazine graduate choice.
The SS20 collection is a continuation and evolution of his past collection. It looks at the place of the female body within religion alongside addressing the covering of the body, hair and face. His development especially nurtured from the French movie ‘Le ciel attendra, which depicts how false promises and deceit can lead young girls to the path of radicalism and obscurantism.
The new collection is a key point in the development of a sustainable path for the brand. It involves the use of materials such as biological cotton, Cupro®, Tencel®, rayon and natural rubber, as well as the responsible sourcing of silk. It is leather and fur-free. It encourages upcycling with the use of the authentic fishing net and natural dyeing with vegetables and embeds the brand in its will to be socially responsible, tackling polemical but critical matters.
Recently selected by the American Fashion Council as one of the 60 worldwide laureates of the CFDA+ 2018 Design Graduate Award, Vincent’s continues to create his couture work within his showroom. During his studies, Vincent gained work experience at major fashion houses including; Viktor&Rolf, Iris van Herpen, Jaeha, Léa Peckre and Jackie JS. Lee.
On winning the Ones To Watch AwardVincentsaid, “It is such a great honour to win the Ones to Watch Award. We are truly blessed for the opportunity given to show our work at London Fashion Week and we would like to thank Fashion Scout for believing in us and opening to us this great platform to share our vision. Winning this award shows the desire for authenticity and traditional craftsmanship, and we are proud that it was made possible because we stood up for our convictions.”
Gala Borovic
Originating from Serbia, Gala Borovic launched her namesake label in 2018after gaining two Masters degrees from Fashion Design, at Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade and ArtEZ Institute of the Arts in the Netherlands. Gala sees herself as a maximalist who is experimenting with levelling- up the importance of a process with the final outcome. The brand symbolizes an adult playground, a platform which counter reacts on the emotionless and remote fashion industry. By focusing on textile, print and concept development Gala’s working process regularly includes capturing the intimacy of essential life moments. She is re-using bizarre and unpredictable forms by turning them into concepts, concepts into garments and garments into collections. Finally, the brand provokes personal transformation of the new self where the reality is based on misbalance, asymmetry, and ever-lasting change.
The collection to be showcased at Fashion Scout has taken inspiration from “The Base”. In 2015 “The Base” was created as a private, art studio which represents a modern space for a justified escape from reality. Initially empty and deserted, the interior was built through the arrangement of many old things, second-hand furniture, antiques, waste and amateur art creations of members. Often chaotic, and subject to constant transformations as well as sudden changes in appearance and energy. During the 4 years, Base took on the most diverse forms, both for their purpose and purpose of members. Every individual had subconsciously intended to leave a trace in physical or spiritual form, thereby contributing to the development of this space. The SS20 prints and textures are inspired by this place, and artworks including sculptures, artefacts and drawings.
Gala Borovic has won multiple awards including the Fashion Scout South East Europe Award (Fashion Scout SEE) in 2019 and the “Andjelka Slijepcevic Award” for the best BA Graduation collection called “Fado”-Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade, 2014. Her work has been featured in many publications including Kaltbult, Forbes, Vogue Italia, Elle Serbia to name a few
On winning the Ones To Watch Award Gala said, “This award came at the right time. After graduation, many students are facing uncertainty and are doubting about their further career choice. Taking into consideration I am no exception, I feel very empowered by having an opportunity to show at London Fashion Week. Being one of the four chosen designers, this journey, from Fashion Scout South East Europe (Fashion Scout SEE) competition in Slovenia, Belgrade Fashion Week and now to OnesTo Watch show, represents an important stepping stone of my professional development.”
IA London
IA London is a British avant-garde fashion brand delivering artistic content in the form of distinctive-looking garments and accessories. IA London was founded in 2017 by Cambridge-based designer Ira Iceberg, whose vision is one of wholly personalised fashion.
To support IA London’s vision, a unique design process was developed in stages, whereby a series of original hand-painted artworks, created by the founder, are digitally printed directly on the pattern. These paintings become the surface of IA’s garments and define their distinctive appearance, unprecedentedly integrating fashion and art.
IA London’s SS20 collection ‘I’m Bias-Blind’ is inspired by King Lear, the recurring images of sight and blindness illustrate the theme of self-knowing and consciousness, producing a situation in which those with healthy eyes are ignorant of what is going on around them, and those without vison, appear to ‘see’ the clearest. Healthy eyes appear to be infected by prejudices., producing biases corrupted vision. Blindness embraces diversity with no regard for colour, age, gender. This is interrupted in oversized silhouettes, childlike accessories, and layers of sheer fabrics.
IA London has been featured in global publications including Huf, Vogue Italia, Schon! and L’Officiel Austria, alongside selling in international stockists; Young British Designers, Up/Art Brescia, Secret Room Graz, YAD Boutique, Ela Selected Dusseldorf, Klok Boutique Beirut, Politix LA, to name a few.
On winning the Ones To Watch Award IA London said, “From the start, IA London has fearlessly walked the narrow route to meaningful fashion, guided each step of the way by its creative vision and values. Being awarded “One to Watch” by the iconic Fashion Scout is an acknowledgement of the brand’s authenticity and allows IA London to share its unique point of view with a wider audience.”
Studio Adaptive Skins
Studio Adaptive Skins was founded in 2018 by designer Jef Montes. Adaptive skins is a textile architecture studio based in Arnhem, Netherlands, with a strong emphasis on responsive materials. A new approach on creating shape within the materials rather than cutting patterns out of 2D fabric. The materials are applied on the human skin but also connected to the structure of a building and interior. Responsive to the human and its surrounding the textiles improve the function and experience of body, light, energy, areas, acoustics and climate.
The studio has its own signature projects that are focused on: wearable designs, high fashion and material installations. Next to that the studio also offers a wide spectrum of adaptive textiles and services to other companies. Sustainability and upcycling are an important starting point. No waste is the norm. Finding alternative ways to recreate the production system is constantly researched. The idea is to design a new production chain. Starting from the fiber/yarn and following up all the way towards the material/garment. The focus is on: designing sea-based yarns, knitting and jacquard weaving. Illusion, shape and transformation play an essential factor in the design development.
After graduating in 2012 from ArtEZ institute of the arts Arnhem, Jef received many award nominations and prizes including; being nominated for the national Lichting award 2012, Velero was nominated by the British Council for the IFS award 2016. Montes started working on Tormenta. The concept of Tormenta reflects a Storm around the body and consists of 6 nylon material categories that were recycled from fishing nets. Tormenta was presented during Paris Fashion Week in September, and during FIAC October 2017. After his international debut Tormenta was nominated for the 33rd Hyères award 2018. In 2019 Montes was awarded with the international Re-FREAM 55.000 euro prize.
The SS20 Collection I will show the past, present and future of the label and work crated under designer Jef Montes. The inspiration of the collection is La Moreneta, which depicts Madonna with child on her lap. The sphere in her right hand symbolizes the universe. The child’s raised hand is a gesture of blessing. The pine cone in the other hand is a sign of fertility and eternal life. The blackface of the Madonna remains a mystery. A possible cause is smoke from candles that were put on her feet for centuries to worship. Another possibility is that it is originally dark coloured. Her colour represents an unresolved issue.
Montes material designs are an ongoing process. He believes that keep working on archive pieces is a way of working to keep putting love into the designs. The designs tell a process story with some in the making for over 5 years. This way the work stays alive and keeps on growing.
Studio Adaptive Skins has been featured in multiple publications including Cepezed.NL, Vogue Paris, Style Bubble, Grazia FranceandID Vice to name a few. On winning the Ones To Watch Award, Montes said: “I am feeling blessed joining the Fashion Scout family and looking forward to what the future holds following the show in September.”
Fashion Scout’s Founder and Creative Director Martyn Roberts comments: “We are extremely excited to showcase our SS20 Ones To Watch Award Winners. The selection panel judges were impressed with the technical skills, fabric development and print techniques on show. Fashion Scout are excited to give this seasons winners the opportunity to continue building their brand and profile on a global scale.”
Ones To Watch winners will showcase at Fashion Scout in the brand-new venue this September. The three-day LFW showcase, which runs from September 13th-15th, has moved from Freemasons Hall, it’s home for the past 8 years to Victoria House, Bloomsbury Square, WC1B 4DA. Fashion Scout’s relaunch sees it take over 22,000sqft of the contemporary basement venue, with its unique architectural style that combines industrial elements and blank wall canvas, ideal for showcasing the work of Fashion Scout’s designers.
The event will continue to host both UK and International designers across high impact catwalk shows and dynamic presentations, plus introduce a new exhibition area of emerging talent. With an unrivalled heritage spanning 28 seasons, Fashion Scout is the ultimate and largest independent platform to showcase emerging and established design talent during London Fashion Week.
Ones To Watch winners will showcase their SS20 collections at Fashion Scout London on Friday 13th September at 12.30 during London Fashion Week.
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