London Fashion Week: From protests to activism, everything that happened on day one

Protests and pearls prosper on day one

A model walks the runway at London Fashion Week (Rex)

Whoever said Fashion Week wasn’t relevant to their lives might want to take a look at what’s been happening on – and off – the runways so far this season.

Last week’s New York Fashion Week saw the first-ever transgender designer present their collection, it saw celebrities (including Game of Thrones’s Gwendoline Christie) hit the runway and Barry Manilow even performed at the Michael Kors show.

But the Big Smoke is where the real change is happening. London Fashion Week commenced on Friday and along with the usual peacockery of the runway and the pageantry of streetstyle, was a new air of activism that the shows haven’t been party to in a long time.

Friday of LFW is usually reserved for the young designers – those newest on the scene – and by extension it often offers the most innovative and exciting shows (it also happens to be one of the quieter days, bringing relief to journalists and buyers alike).

Making the first of five days of catwalks, presentations, talks and announcements, here’s everything you need to know about day one of London Fashion Week autumn/winter 2019.

A Season for Activism

The fashion industry has been under the microscope of late, following a government inquiry into the damaging effects of fast fashion, the British Fashion Council declaring London Fashion Week a fur-free affair for the first time in its 34-year history, and numerous brands following suit.

This season, it’s already clear that people want to see a reckoning, as a wave of activism has marked the start of the London shows.

The AW19 collections were kicked off by a strikingly powerful on-catwalk protest at central LFW hub 180 Strand by models and influencers including Adwoa Aboah, Clara Paget and DJ Becky Tong. Standing strong with hands held, the group wore Three Billboards-inspired T-Shirts that read: “72 dead and still no arrests? How come?” in reference to the Grenfell Tower disaster of June 2017 which has seen no justice for survivors.

Outside the same spot, a group of body positivity activists made up of plus-size models and social media influencers staged a protest urging for more realistic portrayals of women’s bodies on the catwalk. Holding placards reading: “Fashion should empower us”, and “Our beauty is immeasurable,” the group included British model Felicity Hayward.

This season also, designer Mother of Pearl has partnered with BBC Earth in an awareness campaign which will see a series of talks present solutions on how the fashion industry can stop contributing to plastic pollution.

But Sunday promises the most action – this time from direct-action environmental group extinction Rebellion – as a “swarming” of the streets intends to incite as much disruption as possible to shock the British Fashion Council into addressing industry downfalls. Watch this space.

Ryan Lo Presents His Usual Escapist Fare

While most designers look forward with their collections, Ryan Lo has always been transfixed with the past. And for this AW19 collection, the Hong Kong-born designer delivered his usual ethereal quirks, this season inspired by French 18th Century rococo and Victoriana.

Through a palette of sombre blacks, muted pinks and serene pastel blues, models displayed babydoll dresses, drop-waist bouffant skirts and an abundance of pussy-bow blouses, crochet and loose corsetry.

A regal theme run through the show, which opened with Stephen Jones feathered beefeater hats and coupled-up models pushing Victorian Silver Cross prams (the same style beloved by the royal family for centuries) slowly down the runway.

At times a mishmash of ideas that attempted to clash oversized earmuffs with tracksuits and ball gowns, the prevailing mood saw fashion as escapism and offered dresses which will no-doubt be seen on the backs of alternative brides come autumn. Chunky backless Gina mules worn with sheer dotted tights provided a chic solution to that transitional conundrum of chilly ankles.

A kawaii way to start the week.

Matty Bovan celebrated outsiders and witchcraft

Occasionally – at London Fashion Week in particular – one must suspend reality at the shows. For some of these so-called ready-to-wear collections offer us garments too fantastical or impractical for anyone to actually wear in their day-to-day goings on, but it is these moments that make for the most interesting shows. The collections that present moods, ideas, concepts are the ones that stand out.

This season marks a year since fashion’s latest enfant terrible presented his first solo catwalk show, and a seat to view his collection has become one of the hottest tickets on the schedule. So hot, in fact, that last season Vivienne Westwood was sat front row – a stamp of approval ingénue designers can only dream of.

For his autumn/winter 2019 collection, the designer took a darker turn. Departing from the Alice in Wonderland absurdity that marked his spring/summer collection, this season saw his handmade makeshift aesthetic inspired by witchcraft. Having spent six months researching the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612 and taking his cues from “folklore and myth”, Bovan presented knitwear so dishevelled it looked at times as if it had been half torn from the diverse models’ torsos.

The show was an exploration of Englishness, but a far cry from the quaint tea-drinking type one might expect. This was gender fluid, rebellious Englishness made up of patchwork Liberty fabrics (the department store personally invited Bovan into their archives) draped over bouncing crinolines, tartan, Stephen Jones trilbies and giant bows and faux fox fur stoles hanging loose from the shoulder and waist: the Englishness of the outsider.

Populated by his merry band of followers clad in the weird and the wonderful, the front row was almost as innovative as the set – which was decorated with sculptures by the artist Rory Mullen made from found objects smeared with paint, makeshift and flags emblazoned with the 28-year-old designer’s moniker. It was a catwalk that looked more like the aftermath of a protest rather than a fashion show and it lived up to the hype.

Ashley Williams’ cool girl reigned

The term ‘cool girl’ might turn some stomachs, but it’s impossible to describe Ashley Williams’ design following without the term cropping up. Without fail, squeezed on the FROW (front row, that is) of Williams’ runway season after season are one of more of her dedicated friends and followers: Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe, Nicola Roberts and Alexa Chung among them.

But this season marked a change from the usual paparazzi-bait invites. Instead, it was the runway where the big names were to be found. The show opened with Adwoa Aboah and included Geldof among the ranks, ensuring all eyes were on the catwalk. Breaking from the usual dour model expressions, the pair couldn’t help but crack a smile walking for their friend – it was quite touching.

Williams’s clothes, although not era-defining or boundary-breaking, are the epitome of trendy. Grunge themes are clashed with popping colours of electric oranges and yellows, the usual injection of leopard and tiger print was worn alongside foil party dresses and furry oversized jumpers.

English heritage inspiration saw bright pink kilts, punked-up Pringle argyle cardigans and equine graphics juxtaposed with whimsical phallic-print headbands and sperm motifs. This was no place for the British stiff upper lip, the Ashley Williams woman is here to have a good time and despite how it might sound, every piece in this collection is designed to be worn – and enjoyed.

Of course, the near cult Williams diamante slogan hairslides were out in abundance, clipped into messy middle-parted hair. Where last season “Anxiety”, “Girl”, and “Heaven” were presented, this time offered the more obscure “Alien”, “Cult”, and “Pearl”. Almost all show-goers were supportively sporting their own in their hair, like dedicated followers. It’s hard not to smile watching a Williams show.

Follow all our coverage of London Fashion Week here.