All images exclusively for Twin by Maya Skelton

maya-skelton.com

Tags: AW16, Exclusive, Fashion, LFW, london fashion week, Maya Skelton, Sibling

As per the show notes:

Who is that girl I see
Staring straight back at me?
When will my reflection show
Who I am, inside?
– ‘Reflection’ in Mulan

All images exclusively for Twin by Maya Skelton

maya-skelton.com

Tags: AW16, LFW, london fashion week, Ryan Lo

Marta Jakubowski caught our attention with her MA graduate collection, when it walked down the Royal College of Art’s Graduate Showcase back in June. Meters of red, white and black fabric connected the models, creating a fluid line of design, from train to metallic headpiece. Intrigued, we caught up with the young designer to find out more.

Tell us a little bit about your background – where did you study?
I started my degree at University of Applied Sciences Trier in Germany, took a year out to study at Central Saint Martins and finished my MA at Royal College of Art this summer. In between, I worked with Bruno Pieters, Jonathan Saunders, Alexander Wang and Hussein Chalayan.

You’ve lived in many cities – Berlin, Antwerp, London and New York. Does this influence you as a designer?
I’m not sure how it influenced me as a designer yet – it definitely influenced me as a person. It used to be so exciting for me to move to new cities with one suitcase, sometimes not even sure where to live and creating my own little life from scratch. I was always very lucky to meet amazing people. There was a time where I couldn’t stay longer than six months in one place, I would get bored and had the need to move on. London is different – it feels home and that’s nice.

What was the inspiration behind your MA graduate show?
It’s about the loss of my mum and how much I love and miss her. It’s about the endless connection after being separated. I was trying to capture emotions, all the sadness, madness and sickness in my silhouettes. I was very angry and depressed while I was working on the collection. Now I feel more peaceful if I look at the collection. I guess to deal with it was the best therapy.

Why red, white and black?
They were the colours I was seeing, feeling and thinking at that moment. There wasn’t another option. Red for love, black for sorrow and white for a new beginning.

What design houses or fashion brands do you aspire to be like or find inspiration from?
I love the late 90’s early 2000’s, especially the work of Hussein Chalayan, Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela at that time. It’s was so subtle, effortless and had a great concept.

What have you been up to since graduation?
I had a great summer in London, it’s so good to be able to spend more time with my friends again. Besides that, I’m still trying to earn a lot of money. Lately, I was preparing for London Fashion Week, where I’m showcasing part of my collection in the British Fashion Councils’ ‘Once to Watch’ installation in Somerset House – that’s very exciting!

Marta Jakubowski‘s London Fashion Week exhibition opens today as part of the Designer Showrooms at Somerset House. 

Photographer Niko Mitrunen captures Marta Jakubowski in her studio. 

Tags: AW14, london fashion week, Marta Jakubowski, Niko Mitrunen

During London Fashion Week Twin headed to the Designer Showrooms at Somerset House to meet the designers behind a young London-based label Pavane. Having worked for a range of big names in design, Hussein Chalayan, Yohji Yamamoto, Marc Jacobs, Erdem and Richard Nicoll to name a few, the designers, Georgina Edmonds and Fiona Ransom, decided to go it alone. Showing their third collection for AW14, they bring together their different disciplines (cutting and textiles) to create pieces that are both delicate yet strong, and structured, but with a certain fluidity in their designs. When asked about their process, they talked about their differences: “as we are both women with different aesthetics and body shapes, what we each want from a garment is different – this sets up an interesting tension with our design process – a questioning dialogue about the desirability and even validity of each piece.” It is this dialogue between the two designers that helps them create highly considered collections.

The Pavane woman, come autumn/winter 2014, will be wearing winter florals and kimono inspired silhouettes in a colour palette of blush oranges, deep reds, pale pinks and shades of charcoal. Key pieces from the collection: “the coat dress and jacket made from the bespoke woolen roses jacquard –  strong and feminine at the same time.”

pavane-london.com

 Photography: Rupert Tapper 

Tags: AW14, london fashion week, Pavane

For our last look back at the shows at London Fashion Week, Twin focuses on the details backstage at the Jonathan Saunders AW14 catwalk presentation. Here we take a look at photographer Ash Reynolds‘ interpretation of what happened.

Photography: Ash Reynolds

Tags: AW14, Jonathan Saunders, london fashion week

For the second in our backstage series, Twin sent photographer Ash Reynolds to capture the atmosphere behind the scenes of the Richard Nicoll AW14 show at London Fashion Week. Here we can take a closer look at the models, styling, beauty and designs that made the show what it was. 

Photography: Ash Reynolds

Tags: AW14, london fashion week, Richard Nicoll

With London Fashion Week officially over, Twin reflects on some of the fabulous shows. The first in our series takes a closer look at the goings-on backstage at Erdem’s Autumn/Winter 2014 show.

Photography: Ash Reynolds

Tags: Erdem, london fashion week

Last week, during London Fashion Week, Twin went to see the private view of Dressing the Screen: The Rise of Fashion Film at Somerset House.

It was a screening exploring the role of female film makers in contemporary fashion film. Ground-breaking, subversive and sometimes playful female filmmakers are challenging stereotypes, shooting the female form in ways that are at odds with traditional representations of femininity and glamour and are questioning the relationship between garment and wearer.

It was a selection of 9 short fashion films, from an exhibition that will be on display in Singapore supported by ICAS and LASALLE, with over 20 films exploring the origins, history and pioneering role UK filmmakers and designers have played in the development of fashion film. An official fringe event of Digital Fashion Week Singapore 2013 will open to the public on September 28 and run for four weeks in the lead up to Digital Fashion Week Singapore. Curated by filmmaker Kathryn Ferguson and designed by System Sovereign X Fuur.

Kathryn Ferguson said: “Fashion film has become one of the main tools for showcasing new work and giving immediate access to fashion in an exciting and dramatic way. Digital Fashion Week Singapore is a truly pioneering event that demonstrates the hunger for innovation in the fashion industry in Singapore so it feels like an appropriate place to exhibit this work.”

digitalfashioweek.com

Footage from the screening at Somerset house will be available at showstudio.com

Tags: Digital Fashion Week Singapore, Dressing the Screen, Kathryn Ferguson, london fashion week

Fashion East is a pioneering non-profit initiative established by Lulu Kennedy and the Old Truman Brewery in 2000. The scheme champions emerging designers, showcasing them on the catwalk at London Fashion Week. Designers are selected by Fashion East’s panel of industry experts who offer guidance and mentoring support. As part of the scheme designers receive a bursary, a fully produced runway show and are taken to Paris to hold sales appointments with international stores. Fashion East has has kick started the careers of many of the UK’s most prolific design talent including Gareth Pugh, Jonathan Saunders, House of Holland, Louise Gray, Marios Schwab, Meadham Kirchhoff, Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Ilincic and Simone Rocha.

For the spring/summer 2014 the Fashion East show featured Ashley Williams, Claire Barrow and Ryan Lo.

Twin’s Trinity Eliis went backstage before the show and got some photos of Ryan Lo’s and Ashley William’s creations.

fashioneast.co.uk

Tags: Ashley Williams, Claire Barrow, Fashion East, london fashion week, Ryan Lo

On Tuesday the super duo Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff behind the brand Meadham Kirchhoff’showed a theatrical experience through their Spring Summer 2014 collection.

It was an extraordinary collection with materials such as silk, lace and satin in white, black, red and gold.
A beautiful fairytale vibe mixed with a slightly darker vampire touch appeared when the models walked down the catwalk with bright orange hair, reminding one of a modern Pippi Longstocking, whilst ghostly sounds pumped out the speakers.

We saw baby doll dresses, punkish takes on the classic Chanel suit and hand embroided slipdresses.

Twin’s Trinity Ellis went backstage to snap some photos.

Tags: london fashion week, Meadham Kirchhoff

On Sunday the Topshop Unique SS14 fashion show took place, and as always they know exactly what women wants. Effortlessly sexy sundresses with spaghetti straps showing of the best part of the back, slouchy denim and frayed jackets were some of the shows highlights.

Head of design Emma Farrow was inspired by the wild heady days and endless freedom of summer, which translates into a collection of relaxed, fuss-free pieces that would be just as good on a relaxed Saturday in the city as they would on the beach in a far-flung destination.

We could see a lot of transparent voiles and precious silks, suedes and soft textured tweeds with raw edges. It was a mix of vibrant pure colours such as hues of blue, oranges, marigold and dazzling whites, pale greys and shaded green.

Watch the whole collection at style.com

Tags: london fashion week, topshop unique

It’s been two years since Sarah Burton was appointed creative director of Alexander McQueen. Since then, her success at the label has been nothing short of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Following the tragic and sudden loss of Lee McQueen, his design assistant for over 14 years was immediately thrust into the large gap that the English enfant terrible of fashion had left. Aside from the mourning of such a close friend, the expectations on Burton to continue his legacy were another heavy burden for the Manchester-born designer to carry.

But rather than crumble under the pressure, she excelled. From the delicate, earth motherly collection for Spring/Summer 2011 with which she made her debut to the futuristically astounding designs for this season, Burton has stepped out of the shadow of Lee McQueen to become a distinguishable design talent in her own right. Here is a woman who unarguably embeds the label’s DNA into every piece, but has considerably lightened up the overall feel of every collection from the at times dark and tortured soul that we knew and loved about the late designer’s collections to something softer, but equally breathtaking.

There is not just her accomplishments at the main line label to praise: having debuted the brand’s diffusion line McQ on the runway in a military

and forest-inspired show this London Fashion Week, as well as establishing its first standalone boutique in the capital, Burton isn’t just continuing the brand founded by her mentor, she is reviving it. Managing to guide the label from a desolate tragedy into a bright future, it’s safe to say that Lee McQueen wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

alexandermcqueen.com
m-c-q.com

Tags: Alexander Mcqueen, Fashion, Lee McQueen, london fashion week, McQ, Sarah Burton

McQ showed on the catwalk at for the first time in its six year history in what was a powerful assertion of the label’s place within Alexander McQueen’s legacy. All the McQueen DNA was present at McQ’s A/W12 show at The Sorting Office High Holborn, but simply delivered in a more compact and accessible package.

Taking a stripped back wartime aesthetic as her starting point, with felted wool and tan and hunter green tailoring, Sarah Burton weaved a collection that was in parts army surplus and in others Black Watch. To finish were beautiful tulle and applique dresses reminiscent of the luxury and excess of Dior’s New Look – modelled by Kristen McMenamy with a gothic twist.

This was a collection of retro-romanticism rendered in rich fabrics and dark tones, proving the almost impossible, that a diffusion range can still be luxurious and beautifully tailored – prepare to see more McQ everyday.

mcq.com

Tags: Alexander Mcqueen, london fashion week, McQ, Sarah Burton

For Burberry Prorsum’s A/W 12 show, a love of youth and an understanding of heritage both found their place on the catwalk. Reflected in Christopher Bailey’s title Town and Field, this was a collection that melded the sophistication of a urban living with the guts of the country. Skinny tweed pencil skirts and flatcaps were matched with quirky animal cartoon knits for a look that was young socialite on a country shoot – pheasant rather than fashion that is.

The Burberry stamp was firmly placed upon the collection with enough coats and jackets to suit all tastes. There was everything from waxed cotton and cropped puffa jackets to Cara Delevingne in a beautiful dark purple belted princess coat. Throughout the collection the skirt reigned supreme, from tweed pencil skirts with bellow pockets to lace skirts with peplums, the silhouette was nipped at the waist with cute bow belts for Forties flare.

Burberry is undeniably a mega brand moment within London Fashion Week’s calendar, with a front row packed with celebrity fans and a model roster to match. But Bailey perfectly matched the brands worldwide popularity with its place in British fashion tradition. The simmulated downpour of English’s perennial rain to finish, couldn’t have been more apt.

burberry.com

Tags: Arizona Muse, Burberry Prorsum, Cara Delevigne, Christopher Bailey, Jourdan Dunn, Kensginton Gardens, london fashion week

Dress up like a dandy seemed to be Paul Smith’s motto for his A/W 12 collection.

Plush sapphire blue velvet trousers, iridescent dégradé burnt orange and grey dresses, as well as boyishly tailored pea coats and blazers defined a collection that stayed true to Smith’s self-described signature of ‘classic with a twist’.

Tweed and plaid prints paired with low slung, front-pleated trousers and silk draped tops kept the feel of the collection more feminine rather than borrowed from the boys, while the injection of colours such as deep fuchsia, emerald green and garnet punched up the chromatic factor for coming winter months.

Paul Smith may be a permanent fixture on the London Fashion Week schedule, but he sure knows how to keep things fresh.

paulsmith.co.uk

Tags: london fashion week, paul smith

For over three decades, Margaret Howell has been designing clothes for the quintessential British woman. This A/W 12 season, she provided a twist on traditional tweed, wool berets and menswear tailoring.

Inspired by Britain’s winter landscape, Shetland wool and a modern interpretation of traditional materials, Howell created a collection of silk and cotton button-downs, pleated drop-waist dresses and traditional outerwear in the form of sheepskin jackets and belted trench coats.  Held in a colour palette of navy, charcoal and moss green and accessorised with black leather penny loafers, each look was a perfect incarnation of the casual Britannia woman.

With a wearable collection tweaked with intriguing construction details, Howell proves that traditional doesn’t have to mean tedious.

margarethowell.co.uk

Tags: london fashion week, Margaret Howell

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

Whether it’s big Seventies hair or Dalmatian spots, each season the Topshop Unique show is a hot ticket for fashion insiders. And with London Fashion Week kicking off today, the store is making good use of its fashion contacts by hosting a series of talks in-store with fashion experts.

Here’s the schedule… Don’t miss out!

Friday 16 September 13.00 and 17.30

Facehunter creator Yvan Rodic talks through everything street style. What does it take to create or capture that perfect fashion moment?

Saturday 17 September 11.00 and 15.00

The Fashion Director of SHOWstudio, Alexander Fury, gives an insight into the world of fashion and film in this digital age.

Sunday 18 September 12.00 and 16.00

The young British designer Charlotte Taylor brings her blog to life, and shares her insight into launching her own label.

Monday 19 September 14.00 and 17.00

Freelance fashion editor Grace Timothy talks through make up trends for the upcoming season, shares her beauty insider tips as well as giving an insight into her Fashion Week.

Tuesday 20 September

Special guest speaker to be announced, check out Topshop.com/londonfashionweek for the latest listings.

Tags: Alexander Fury, Charlotte Taylor, Grace Timothy, london fashion week, Seventies, SHOWstudio, topshop unique, yvan rodic

Big up Twin Fashion Director Celestine Cooney for her styling at the Ashish show. We think she may be the one responsible for the model’s beanie hats, shades and pastel streaked hair. Nice one Celestine for bringing a bit of grunge into the vibrant and sequinned realm Ashishistan.

Tags: ashish, Blog, celestine cooney, lfw flashback, london fashion week