JAEHA, founded by Korean-born New Zealander Jae Kim, is the new ready-to-wear label to know. After moving to London in 2010, Kim gained experience working in the Mary Katrantzou studio before studying at Central St Martins under the late Louise Wilson OBE. Carving out his own aesthetic, he is known for combining abstract forms with layering and texture.

Tell us about how you started designing…
When I was 17, I saw all these girls sewing up their ball dresses for their end of year high school ball – pure polyester moment. They needed help – so I decided to take fashion as one of my subjects in high school back in New Zealand.

Why did you decide to move to London?
I met Peter Pilotto and Jean-Pierre Braganza at Mango El Boton competition in Barcelona. Braganza told me I should come to London – so I sent my application to Louise Wilson at Central St Martins MA, and was accepted.

How would you describe your brand? 
Premium contemporary womenswear – visually striking garments that combine bold, androgynous cuts with a care free, wearable style.

What’s the story behind the AW16 collection? 
Modern pre-Raphaelite women’s wardrobe meets Wes Anderson.

What’s the most valuable advice you have been given? 
Collaboration is good when it’s needed.

Where do you see your brand in five years? 
Kate Middleton’s wardrobe. Hopefully people can pronounce ‘JAEHA’ correctly by then.

www.jaeha.com

Tags: Central St. Martin's, JAEHA, Louise Wilson, Mary Katrantzou

London Fashion Week A/W12 stood apart from other seasons in asserting the city’s place firmly within the fashion week calendar. Not just because of the brilliant creativity that the fashion world has come to expect, but because of the strength of the homegrown brands on show.

From big names such as Burberry and McQ to the young guns like Mary Katrantzou, Simone Rocha and Christopher Kane, whose collections just keep getting better, London proved that it can be a commercial contender, without losing it’s edge.

STELLA MCCARTNEY

Showing a glimpse into her evening collection pre Paris Fashion Week, Stella did it in a way that obliterated the catwalk show and turned it into immersive theatre. The unwitting stage was a fashion fabulous dinner. Models, Amber Valletta, Shalom Harlow and Yasmin Le Bon confounded guests by erupting halfway through into a choreographed dance sequence of jaw-dropping craziness. The clothes, a tight collection of optical dresses, painterly cocktail numbers and tailoring, were shown as they should be, in the moment, working the party.

MARY KATRANTZOU

Mary Katrantzou’s collection was sheer artistry, from the trompe l’oeil prints of verdant maze gardens and clackety typewriters that drew the eye deep into the design, to the origami ruffles that fluttered off of collars and hems.

This was print done with structure and tailoring the Katrantzou way. As well as being brilliantly inventive, they were also eminently wearable, and are assured of a wide following.

CHRISTOPHER KANE

Christopher Kane’s show only further confirmed his eye-opening ability to draw on references and ideas like no other and make them fashion must haves.

There was gangster goth pinstripe skirt-suits and dresses alongside elegant chiffon dresses with applique black velvet flowers. The palette was darkly purple, black and royal blue and leopard print was done in the Kane way, injecting the print with a freshness that has tarnished over recent seasons. This was tough, feminine and most obviously from London.

MEADHAM KIRCHOFF

At Meadham Kirchoff the look was acidic with tribal crayon makeup and Seventies funky heels in silver, pink and gold glitter.

With the catwalk turned into a disco this was a larger than life collection of lamé, sequins, tinsel, fuzzy snakes and most importantly fun. But hidden amongst it all were the kind of separates sure to add zing to any wardrobe.

ELLIOT ATKINSON

At a salon presentation hosted by Colin McDowell at the Corinthia Hotel, Elliot Atkinson showed a collection inspired by medieval aristoracy wrought in modern urbanity. A palette of black, white and mustard was tailored to create a silhouette that was slim, fierce and undeniably elegant.

Tags: Amber Valletta, Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou, Meadham Kirchoff, Shalom Harlow, Stella McCartney, Yasmin Le Bon

In December, Topshop launched their iPhone app allowing customers to search and shop from the comfort of their phone. And the virtual world continues to grow apace with the innovative store announcing  that throughout London Fashion Week, they will be streaming shows via their app live from the Topshop Show Space .

Brands that will be part of the streaming include Topshop Unique, Mary Katrantzou, Meadham Kirchhoff, Peter Pilotto, Louise Gray and Michael Van Der Ham. There’s also a film specially created for Topshop by Nick Knight and starring Karlie Kloss, behind-the-scenes videos and a make-up tutorial.

So if you can’t stand the crush of the shows make sure you tune in live, wherever you are.

Tags: london fashion week, Louise Gray, Mary Katrantzou, peter pilotto, Topshop, Topshop iPhone app, topshop unique

With a week’s worth of womenswear and menswear shows kicking off today, a new crop of fresh design talents will be making their London Fashion Week mark.

For this season, expect to see the collections of David Koma, Holly Fulton, J.JS Lee, J.W. Anderson, Michael van der Ham and Simone Rocha on the runway, as well as Christopher Raeburn, Thomas Tait, Nasir Mazhar, Sister by Sibling, Huishan Zhang, James Long, Lucas Nascimento, Tim Soar and Palmer//Harding presenting their unique designs in installations and exhibitions.

Helping them flourish in the fashion capital is the British Fashion Council’s NEWGEN initiative, founded in 1993 and sponsored by Topshop. The scheme offers young creatives a platform to showcase their designs at Somerset House, as well as offering financial and business support.

With past recipients including Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou and Meadham Kirchhoff, the future is looking more than bright for this next generation of fashion talent. After all, there’s nothing like a new kid on the block to shake things up.

britishfashioncouncil.co.uk

Tags: Alexander Mcqueen, British Fashion Council, Christopher Kane, Christopher Raeburn, David Koma, Holly Fulton, Huishan Zhang, J.JS Lee, J.W. Anderson, James Long, london fashion week, Lucas Nascimento, Mary Katrantzou, Matthew Williamson, Meadham Kirchhoff, Michael van der Ham, Nasir Mazhar, NEWGEN, Palmer//Harding, simone rocha, Sister by Sibling, Thomas Tait, Tim Soar, Topshop

Central Saint Martins graduate Mary Katrantzou is undoubtedly one of fashion’s current favourites.Those who haven’t been able to grab one of her highly-coveted digital print pieces now have the chance to own a fluorescently bright handbag created by the Greek designer.

Part of her collaboration with Longchamp and now available exclusively at Colette Paris, the totes in 3D prints of lanterns, orchids and aquariums are the perfect excuse to put a bit of Katrantzou in your closet.

colette.fr
marykatrantzou.com

Tags: colette, Longchamp, Mary Katrantzou