Emerging Design Stars Shine Bright On London Fashion Week's First Day

The autumn/winter 2024 shows kicked off in London on Friday with a line-up of the now and the next. Where once that might have meant the outlandish and the extreme, the impossible to imagine worn on the street, in 2024 and in the week a recession was confirmed, it translates differently. Here were emerging designers illustrating a profound understanding of not only what their brands stand for, but also what their customers want from them.

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Sinead O’Dwyer, Chet Lo, Joanna Parv and Olly Shinder of Fashion East and Tolu Coker brought to the day-one schedule an energy to empower their customer. A pre-show quote given to ELLE UK from Lo phrased it neatly: ‘The world is not only their oyster but also at their command,’ he shared.

Here, everything to know about the shows from day one of London Fashion Week.

The Frow

London has long been a show of support with the front rows of emerging designers almost as equally packed with as many names as the bigger brands. Clara Amfo was amongst those showing up for Fashion East, while Maya Jama and Bimini made it out for Chet Lo.

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At Tolu Coker, Ella Eyre and Grace Carter posed together ahead of the show, and then sat alongside Zeze Milz, CNTRL, Jada G, James Corbin and Ivorian Doll.

The (At A Glance) Simple

Once, creativity in London often meant an unbridled approach where the outlandish ruled and the bigger, the better was praised. Of course, that still has its place, but those that showed today offered up something of a restraint that looked to a more minimalist approach, where an understanding of how their customer and community dress now. Joanna Parv, who made her third and final appearance under the Fashion East incubator, showing a concentrated, refined take that hinted at long-range potential for what’s to come next.

‘She’s a mysterious, sexy alien lady,’ Parv told ELLE UK of the woman she was designing for this season. ‘I started the season as I always do because I don’t work with moodboards as such, but the mood comes from the colours, new shapes and fabrications.’ Her clean silhouette this season, which was boosted by her signature multi-functional garments, transformed as models walked, was here rendered in a tonal palette of dark greens, browns and, of course, black, then punctuated with palette cleansing mint and powder blue.

The Estonian-born designer was especially enthused by the new fabrications she explored, working to seasonality to speak more accurately to autumn/winter. ‘We have woollen jackets cut in a crop that are a bit shorter at the back to hold closer to the body. They are a minimal tailored, almost technical suit combination.’

The Signature

O’Dwyer showed a collection that proved a strong sense of self and an understanding of what works for her customer and the designer herself, as she admitted to following her own instinct of dress as inspiration. ‘I like to have my fancy [clothes] but I’m also building a more practical wardrobe that feels hot and maybe more strong, but also comfortable and supportive,’ she told ELLE UK in a preview. ‘I think I am the woman I design for.’

Shinder illustrated similar, creating a collection that was based much on what the designer wears. A heady mix of protective workwear, uniform and casual tailoring were taken to new points of interest, where ‘staid references are queered,’ read the show notes. ‘Middle managerial shirting is thrown off kilter with the tweak of a collar; rubberised gauntlets shield limbs from splashes — chemical, carnal or otherwise.’

At Lo’s afternoon show, the familiar spike knits that he’s become known for were present, but so too was a new elevation for the brand seen in a slinky silhouette and a show of metallics. The designer spoke of a concerted effort from his team this season to enforce the new exploration. ‘There is a level of sophistication and elevation. which hasn’t really been touched on until now,’ he said. ‘[We] have worked so hard to create an aura of elegance mixed with our usual signature, sassy style.’

But, beyond this effort on elegance, Lo shared that his primary inspiration for the season was the idea of The Terracotta Army. ‘I was always so inspired by them growing up and wished that I had their strength when I was being bullied and ridiculed for being queer and Asian when I was younger,’ Lo explained. ‘I wanted to embody the strength of these sculptures and sought to do this through the new collection.’

Closing out the day, Coker’s collection was a homage to Accra’s hawkers, the street vendors who sell a plethora of goods amongst the city’s non-stop traffic inspired by a recent trip taken by the Central Saint Martins graduate. The reference might have been specific, but the appeal was far-reaching. Here, Coker confirmed her status as one of London fashion’s most exciting upstarts, with her pieces speaking of a maturity beyond her business years. Dresses felt especially of note. Young designers might often stray from such pieces, but here Coker embraced them and emboldened them with zipped slits to allow for personal preference (on the catwalk they were suitably drawn as open as possible.)

‘I think we often talk about a Western gaze on the global South, but this collection is really about the global South gaze on the Western world,’ Coker told ELLE UK in a preview. ‘When I was looking at hawkers and how they dress, putting together something brand new together with something that will have come washed up on the waters, I began to understand how our Western behaviours have affected the global South and the identities emerging there.’ Coker admitted the collection was about ‘celebrating’ hawkers: ‘Especially the tenacity of people who don’t have the spotlight. It’s just really being able to tell those stories, not from a saviour complex or pity party [point of view], but just really celebrating the people. But, to be able to do it with dignity because they’re innovators and pioneers in the face of suffering. That’s something I find really special and I’m really excited to share.’

The Process

At ELLE UK’s pre-show preview, O’Dwyer spoke of the complex process that goes into not only designing but also making a collection such as hers. The Irish designer works with a vast sample set that exists beyond the usual size eight constraints. ‘There’s a complete lack of awareness surrounding the amount of labour that goes into the making of garments and that results in a lot of people have understanding why isn’t there more inclusive clothing within luxury?’

‘That’s kind of probably what I’m most interested in now, with the brand and also with my own work,’ she said. ‘I love trying to participate in conversations around how the system is built and helping people understand how extremely difficult it is to try and do something different. It would be good if there were more conversations about the practical side of making garments, especially when we talk about inclusivity or sustainability.’

Coker later explained that this season has seen her come to understand a change in values as she approached the collection. ‘It’s less about an aesthetic as it is about creating clothes as heirlooms. I always think about beyond the clothes themselves, but the memories they carry,’ she said earnestly. ‘I always think about when my father suddenly passed and the job of having to go through all of his clothes and how they just became a legacy of their own.’ Beyond this gentle sentimentality, there was a clear timelessness to the collection. Pieces came with eternal appeal, ready for Coker’s growing fanbase to make their own.

The Bow

And finally… today’s final exists were a tale of sweet celebration and elation. Chet Lo, who always gives the front row a lap of honour packed with high-octane energy, did not disappoint as he proved his acrobatic credentials by leaping and jumping down his catwalk.

Later in the day, Coker followed her dancing models out hand-in-hand with her collaborator, ELLE UK contributor and much-loved London fashion favourite stylist Jeanie Annin-Lewin, confirming that once again London talent is nothing without teamwork. It was a sweet sentiment to round out the day’s standout show leaving scarcely a dry eye (in a good way!) in the house as the pair traversed the runway together.

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