The 12th of September marked the commencement of fashion month, starting with London Fashion Week celebrating its 40th anniversary and beginning the month with a bang, attendees were hit with waves of nostalgia, surrealism and understated luxury and got to enjoy the unveiling of designs from established names and also emerging designers. London Fashion Week is known for having some of the most creative and daring designers on schedule, a testament to that would be JW Anderson's consistent spot, 15 years in a row, and this year they kept their reputation intact. Let's get into designers who set themselves apart this past week.
Chet Lo’s SS25 show was a bit of a shocker to enthusiasts familiar with his previous lines, maybe because he found a way to turn his usual futuristic designs conservative or because the designs were reminiscent of corporate America in the 90s. He claimed to have drawn inspiration from his mother's 9-5 life and he's managed to do that while keeping the designs modern and fresh. In a world where people are getting bolder with their work outfits, Chet Lo’s line will help them accomplish that.
In case you weren't familiar with her Ugg collab for her fall line in February, or when Ariana wore one of her pieces in her music video for the song “The Boy is Mine”, then maybe the recent buzz about her show being every black woman's dream might have put her on your radar.
Tolu Coker, the British-Nigerian designer is a force to be reckoned with and did not let us forget it with her latest line named after her mother “Olapeju”. It was an ode to powerful matriarchs of immigrant communities, The set design was inspired by her childhood and had pictures taken by her late father, the most appealing part of the show however was her ability to tell a story of the past and present, and if we thought the Ugg collaboration blew us away, this time she worked with Manolo Blahnik.
Karoline Vitto's collection was an ode to curvy bodies, celebrating the form of plus-sized women, this being her first standalone fashion show since she graduated from Fashion East in 2023, the Brazilian designer has managed to accomplish something many designers haven't been able to or spend years trying to, a brand that means something to people, a considerable amount of her cast members flew into London on their dime and we have to say it was worth it, Vitto placed the female form as the centre of the design process and the result was astonishing. The dresses accentuated and flattered the curves of these women and the designs were chic and classy and the thrill of inclusion made her stand out.
Now that London Fashion Week has come to an end we can't wait to see what the other weeks have in store for us, will the other designers be able to maintain the pace the first week has set for us and what other themes are going to be explored as we move forward.
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