Fashion Scout presents unisex brand Tolu Coker while Anya Hindmarch hosts Weave Project among highlights at London Fashion Week

Fashion Scout Merit Award winner London-based Tolu Coker debuts today during this season's London Fashion Week, featuring her unisex (genderless) autumn/winter 2019 collection at the Freemason Hall.

A graduate from Central St Martins, Coker's designs centres around inclusivity, diversity and social responsibility.  This image above released by Fashion Scout says it all.

Meanwhile, handbag designer with an eco conscience Anya Hindmarch is hosting her Weave Project in the Brewer Street Car Park, London from February 16 - 19.  The art installation will celebrate the new Neeson collection featuring a giant and interactive neon-blue, hand-netted tube by artist collective Numen/For Use,.  Visitors can climb through to experience the installation from unexpected and surreal angles.

Fashion Scout London kicks off September 15.

Fashion Scout spring summer 18 will open on September 15, kicking off five days of shows and presentations from the most creative international and UK designers. On Friday 15th September there are 10 showcases taking place, including the Ones To Watch show, featuring four artistic emerging designers.   There are 37 catwalk shows and presentations taking place at Freemasons' Hall.

The Swedish School of Textiles are set to showcase 21 graduates work, and there are 10 shows on the first day of Fashion Scout SS18.
Fashion Scout invites all to view the full schedule by clicking here, and  to learn more about the designers here.

ASOS + Fashion Scout to launch 2nd Fashion Discovery competition

ASOS partners with Fashion Scout, the international showcase for fashion pioneers, to launch the 2017 Fashion Discovery competition!

As part of the company’s commitment to supporting emerging talent, ASOS launches Fashion Discovery 2017 for the second year running. The competition is open to emerging fashion companies registered in the UK and aims to find the very best in fresh talent.

The winners will  receive 12 months of mentoring support from ASOS, a £50,000 cash prize and an edit of the winners’ collections will be available on the ASOS website.

Entries for the first stage of the competition are open  from 4th September and run until Monday 30th October. The winners will be announced in May 2018.

More details and the online entry form can be found here.

Fashion Scout Live Streaming designers catwalk shows

Fashion Scout, the sister event to London Fashion Week, opens on Friday 17th February and a number of its featured designers will be live streaming their shows.

This will be the first time that one can watch Fashion Scount's fresh talent showcasing their new creations from wherever you are via the Fashion Scout website, and experience the events as if you are a front row VIP even if you don't have the ticket.

Among its line up of designers on their schedule, the following will be live streaming:

Friday 17th February
14.30 N&S Gaia
15.30 Ones to Watch: Joanna Berling; Krasimira Stoyneva; Orange Culture and RU

Saturday 18th February
11.00 Mimi Tran
13.30 Dubai Design & Fashion Council: Azzalia and Deborah Henning
15.30 Malan Breton
17.00 Merit Award: Katie Ann McGuigan

Sunday 19th February
19.30 Carballosa

Monday 20th February
16.30 Barrus

Fashion Scout London will take place 

at FREEMASON'S HALL
60 GREAT QUEEN STREET, LONDON WC2B 5AZ

Dive into POINT BLANK's SS17 collection inspired by Hockney's Bigger Splash

Models wandering aimlessly, casually having a cocktail from a trolley may not immediately transport the audience to California, albeit inspiration for the latest Dive-In collection by London brand Point Blank was from the 1967 David Hockney painting - The Bigger Splash (currently owned by Tate Britain), according to the design duo behind the brand - Yanyu Chung and Adrienne Lau.

But with provocative music by Thomas Grandjean, the presentation did provide a dreamy atmosphere for the Dive-In collection of colour-blocked poolside retro style, featuring sporty separates, tropical foil prints along with neon signs with the word Paradise sprayed across bright tops.

Lace inserts, glittering sequins and asymmetric swimsuits with cut-outs completed the range.

Held at the Freemasons Hall as part of Fashion Scout's offering during London Fashion Week, the 14-minute show recurred continuously for an audience that could wander in and out during a two hour period allocated to the brand.  The show may leave you feeling a bit intoxicated.

Watch the show on their website.  Click here.

All photos here: © Lucia Carpio 2016 for My Fashion Connect Global

Run Label SS17 Collection - Lineal - inspired by Ethiopia.

Varun Sharma is the London-based designer behind the RUN Label.  His Spring/Summer 2017 presented during London Fashion Week under the Fashion Scout umbrella is entitled "Lineal" with inspiration taken from the Hamar Tribe of Ethiopia, according to the designer.

Sharma's love for prints and bold colours has been his forte and he makes it the identity of the label's persona.  Each season he produces exclusive in-house prints which are used for the label's seasonal collections.

For Spring/Summer 2017, which was previewed at the Freemasons Hall in a conceptual presentation, Sharma captured the elements of youthfulness in simple shapes while fusing modernity and tradition, with a strong graphical print narrative at its core, He also used colour blocking and artisan beading commonly used by the Ethiopian tribe.

The designer used prints in a masculine visual while the silhouettes were linear and feminine, featuring a collection of versatile and easy-to-wear ensembles and separates.  Key fabrics included silk crepes, silk georgettes and viscose jersey.

A graduate from the Middlesex  University in London, Varun Sharma has previously worked under successful creatives such as menswear designer Carolyn Massey where he honed his skills for creating beautifully crafted and refined garments.  With his studio in the creative hub of Hackney (East London) his design work aesthetically veers towards creating clothing which embodies youthfulness, masculinity, and chic simplicity.

All photos © Lucia Carpio 2016 for My Fashion Connect Global

Belgrade Fashion and Accessories showcased at London's Fashion Scout event

From embroidery to intricate surface detailing, fashion cut in dynamic shapes and well-crafted accessories - these are some of the highlights of Belgrade Fashion Week that was celebrating its 20th anniversary recently.

Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2016

BFW brought together some 20 Serbian design talent to London during the capital's Fashion Week this September to showcase the unique skills of the fashion and accessory designers at the Fashion Scout venue held at the magnificent Freemansons' Hall in Covent Garden, London.

Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2016

Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2016

The focus was to present the designers' creative approaches to fashion through authentic Serbian design while interpreting cultural heritage to produce apparel and accessories for the Spring-Summer 2017 season.

Left, Aleksandra Lalic. Right, Sestre S
Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2016

Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2016

Sonja Jocic
Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2016

Budislava Kekovic
Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2016

Through the promotional efforts of Belgrade Fashion Week came the founding of BFW Design Collective - a non-government and non-profit designers' association.  It gathers professionals from the doman of fashion for the purpose of achieving a common goal; for the development and improvement of the Serbian fashion sector.

Ana Ljubinkovic
Photo: © Lucia Carpio 2016

For more information, contact Belgrade Fashion Week.

All photos © Lucia Carpio 2016 for My Fashion Connect Global

Designer ApuJan's AW16 collection serenaded by live soulful musicians from Taiwan

London-based designer ApuJan’s AW16 collection presentation was certainly a show not to be missed. The presence of live music set a poetic tone of the show yesterday as one of the highlights of this season’s Fashion Scout event at Freemason’s House in Covent Garden.

Many of models had their faces obscured by oversized crochet bucket hats with a loose scalloped brim.  

The collection featured rose and floral prints as well as chunky knits for a chic interpretation of a feminine silhouette with long flowing shapes. 

Colours were mainly grey, blue and black, with occasional injection of bright blue and coral.  The use of textured knitting techniques featuring knitwear of varying weights as well as the emphasis on the feminine bodice display the designers understanding of the importance of modern comfort.

Not only were the clothes enticing, the models strode down the runway accompanied by sultry and soulful music. 

Led by singer Olivia Yan accompanied by a violinist and a cellist, the performance of five scores by the Taiwanese musicians was enhanced by the skilful talent of DJ Stephen.   

According to the musicians, the band was formed specifically for ApuJan's catwalk show, under the name of Project APJ but they have put out a couple of albums already and can be contacted on their website.

All photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect Global.

David Ferreira is Fashion Scout MERIT AWARD WINNER AW16

Congratulations to David Ferreira, the Portugal-based womenswear designer who has been named as Fashion Scout Merit Award Winner AW16. 

A BA (Hons) Fashion Design Course graduate at the University of Westminster in London, David Ferreira won plaudits from a panel of top designers inclyuding Iris Van Herpen, Giles Deacon and Meadham Kirchhoff – for his outstanding innovative techniques and craftsmanship while presenting a collection of new silhouettes and a modern approach to couture, according to Fashion Scout.

Martyn Roberts, founder and creative director of Fashion Scout comments: “David’s collection was critically acclaimed by press and media and he has a strong vision.”

David Ferreira was selected from some 200 emerging designers from across the world and in winning this year’s Merit Award he will receive a fully sponsored catwalk show to take place on 19^th February during London Fashion Week as well as exhibiting in Fashion Scout London and Paris.  

Get ready for London Fashion Week 19 – 23 February 2016

More than 75 designers will be showcasing their Autumn Winter 2016 collections in a couple of weeks’ time when this season of London Fashion Week (organised by the British Fashion Council) kicks off.  

The final show schedule for London Fashion Week AW16  can be viewed now online.  Press members and buyers have to contact the individual fashion houses and designers for invitations.

The BFC Show Space will be at the Brewer Street Car Park whereas the BFC Presentation Space will be at The Mall at the ICA while others will take place at individual venues such as TopShop will show theirs at Tate Britain.

Meanwhile, the show schedule for Fashion Scout, which will take place concurrently, is also now available online.  The main event will take place at Freemason House, London.

All photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect Global.

London to host Fashion Utopias to showcase global emerging designers

While London is a multi-cultural cosmopolitan world capital, its role as a leading capital for world design talent will be further boosted come next February when the city will play host to global designers as it has been announced that the February 2016 edition of London Fashion Week (LFW) will see the staging of an exhibition to showcase the work of 80 emerging designers from 25 different countries around the world.

According to the British Council and the British Fashion Council, the exhibition will open on February 19 at Somerset House, London, as the fifth edition of the annual International Fashion Showcase (IFS). 

Entitled "Fashion Utopias", the exhibition is said to be a key part of LFW's public programme, which aims to celebrate the ongoing relevance of fashion in contemporary culture.

This year’s exhibition will also celebrate the 500th anniversary of the publication of Thomas More’s inspirational text, Utopia, which highlights the educational value of honouring different places, people and cultures. The West Wing at Somerset House will be transformed into an imaginary terrain, designed by Hatty Ellie Coward, where the emerging designers and curators will invite attendees to share their vision of the future.

Spanning over 15 galleries, the exhibition will consist of 14 galleries representing a country and one group installation entitled ‘Next in Line’, curated by Shonagh Marshall.  The work from additional designers will be featured and country installations for the exhibition include Czech Republic, Indonesia and Nigeria.

There will be a series of seminars, visits and mentoring opportunities for the designers organised by the London College of Fashion, to help them prepare for the showcase, known as the Designer Support Programme.

A collaboration with the coinciding event - Fashion Scout - will offer the participating designers a chance to show their designs on the catwalk.

A ceremony will also be held during LFW, chaired by a panel of industry experts, who will select the winning Country and Designers, as well as a Curator Award sponsored by Bonaveri.

"At a time when it often seems as if we’ve plunged into a dystopian age, it’s a liberating act to think about exactly the opposite: if we could create a Utopia, how would we want it to be?," said Sarah Mower MBE.  "From the entries we’ve already seen, this year’s showcase will be a chance to witness a phenomenally uplifting inter-cultural compare-and-contrast. Each country’s deeply-felt exhibit is also to be framed with a national curator, a fast-developing field of collaboration on the frontiers between art and fashion."

The IFS is set to run from February 19 to 23, 2016 at Somerset House.

Fashion Scout ONES TO WATCH and Merit Award designers in Paris this week.

Selected from a shortlist of 50 emerging designers by a panel of industry experts, four Ones To Watch designers are among Fashion Scout’s stable of young talents this season showcasing at Fashion Scout Paris Showroom on currently until October 6^th.

FASHION SCOUT supports young designers during London Fashion Week.

They are Anita Hirlekar, JS Shin, Leaf Xia and Typical Freaks.  Also showing is Katie Roberts Wood, winner of the acclaimed Fashion Scout SS16 Merit Award.

Roberts / Wood by Katie Roberts Wood.

Designer Anita Hirlekar graduated from London's Central Saint Martins MA Fashion Textiles in 2014, launching her luxury womenswear label based in Iceland. Anita creates garments with attention to innovative fabrications, focusing on her ability to combine unique handcrafted skill with a refined high fashion sensibility. 

Anita already has a string of accolaides under her belt including from ITS, Elle DK, Vogue Italia and a handbag collaboration with BVLGARI.

J S Shin is the recently launched London based womenswear label from designer Joon-Sik Shin. Graduating from Fashion Design Technology Womenswear at London College of Fashion in 2015, Joon-Sik applies conceptual ideas and inspiration to contemporary womenswear. 

With a background and experience in Italian tailoring, Joon-Sik’s signature aesthetic lies in luxury tailoring twinned with hand-craft.

Originally from China, now New York based, Leaf Xia graduated from Parsons the New School of Design in 2015. Focusing on colours, print and a strong silhouette, Leaf specializes in collage, creating playful and brave designs.

At the core of Leaf’s garments is her bold personality, using her collections to communicate a positive energy to everyone through the vehicle of fashion.

Bold, colourful and conceptual street wear brand Typical Freaks is designed by Central Saint Martins MA Graduate Seun Ade-Onojobi and London College of Fashion Graduate Sonia Xiao. The duo provide an eccentric statement on fashion, full of humour, craftsmanship and integrity. Drawing on diverse thematic inspiration, Typical Freaks’ garments are a celebration of creativity with many items printed or painted by hand, and often imbued with a mature sensitivity and dark, punky undertones. 

Ones To Watch provides a unique platform for the brightest new designers, helping to generate maximum media and buyer attention.  Following on from a successful showing during London Fashion Week in September, the designers are at Fashion Scout ParisShowroom this week until October 6th.  New Location: 78 RUE AMELOT 75011 Paris.

All photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Katie Roberts Wood winner of the acclaimed Fashion Scout SS16 Merit Award, in Paris this week

Katie Robert Wood is this season’s Merit Award winner as showcased at Fashion Scout at the Freemason's Hall in Covent Garden during London Fashion Week  in September and is one of the key emerging designers featured in the FASHION SCOUT Paris Showroom this week until October 6^th.

Katie’s new collection is launched under the ROBERTS|WOOD label.  Her approach to the design process focuses on construction techniques and the manipulation of materials; playing with repetition, structure and texture to create unexpected tactile and visual effects. The collections are borne from a fascination with nature and science, but are always imbued with a pervading sense of the unreal.

Katie was selected from over 200 emerging designers from across the world who applied for Fashion Scout’s Merit Award.  She follows in the successful footsteps of past winners including David Koma, Eudon Choi, Phoebe English and Xiao Li.

Fashion Scout’s Founder and Creative Director Martyn Roberts commented “Katie’s graduate collection was outstanding and deserved all the international attention.  The new collection she is developing for the Merit Award builds on this experimentation, taking her creativity to a new level.”

FASHION SCOUT in Paris October 1st - 6th

New Location:

78 RUE AMELOT

75011 Paris