London Fashion Week is back. Every February and September, the city develops into a frenetic state for a few days. Everybody who is somebody in the fashion industry honour London with their presence from the high-powered, and scary, US Vogue Editor Anna Wintour to the ultimate photographers’ muse Kate Moss; from influential designer Vivienne Westwood to the hottest ticket in town: Burberry Prorsum. Gods and goddesses stay in Olympus, and the rest of us, mere mortals, can only hope to watch it on Youtube. However, the next generation of designers will organise alternative shows and fairs to which it is easier to get a ticket. McQueen’s first shows were in the Eastend. Who knows, you might discover the next Galliano.
Design by John Herrera. Photographer: MJ Suayan Model: Yuliya Prilepova (Elite Models)
Fashion East in Shoreditch and SCOOP at the Saatchi Gallery are also worth a mention.
CandyRocks, launched last August, aims to become a platform for a selected group of fashion designers. Founded by the Afghan Aisha Ferozee, she had to overcome tough challenges in order to succeed. Ferozee says:
“I always had an urge to create although my parents never nurtured my creativity, moreover tried to extinguish it by reminding that I’m destined to married my cousin, so to get silly thoughts about fashion out of my head, as girls from my culture, you are encouraged to gain skills on how to be a housewife, raise children and how to be submissive. Careers are frowned upon. However, if you are lucky enough to have liberal parents then you would be encouraged into professions such as a doctor or lawyer. Creativity is seen as hobby. My family arranged for me to go back to Afghanistan to marriage a cousin at the age of 14, but I decided that I didn’t want a life of servitude because I’m outspoken. I wouldn’t have been able to survive, I would have ended up being killed or committing suicide, so I ran away and was placed in care, where I was lucky enough to meet a foster carer, who saw I had a flare for fashion and she encouraged me to get into fashion design.
I attended fashion & clothing in the fashion Retail academy, Tottenham Court road, London, after which I started Fashion & Textiles at Middlesex University, at the end of 1st year, I started my own clothing label Ferozee Yung. I launched two collections, I organized photo shoots, I built a network of other other fashion professionals on social media and after being part of various fashion shows around London, which I found disappointing as they made a lot claims. Models weren’t models but backing dancers, bad lighting, bad productions. I didn’t t gain any opportunities, after a while I felt fed up. I was inspired to create a fashion platform which delivered a professional production, attended by influential industry members. I wanted to create an environment for real business opportunities to take place, through networking.”
A true inspiration in determination and resilience.
Design by Aisha Ally. Photographer: Steve Spurgin
London Emerging Designers (L.E.D) Fashion events happened for the fist time in August 2015 in South Kensington. Designers which took part were John Herrera, Joonsik joon, Maurice Whittingham, Diana Piatek, Reece Curtis, Ashima kaur, Melissa Young, Katherine bridges and Sonia Funnell. It managed to get the attention by fashion editors, buyers, investors and the press.
The next CandyRocks inspired by ‘sweets which evoke the nostalgia of childhood’ will take place at 78 Bishopsgate, City of London EC2N 4AG on the 20th of February at 6pm. For more information and how to get tickets, please visit their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LED-CandyRocks-LFW-897046497019328/
Design by Feven Habtu
