Sama Al Wasmi

London Fashion Week Sama Al Wasmi

Why it should be your Favorite Fashion Week

London, an unequivocally cool and cultural city replete with the best of food, entertainment and sightseeing. But when it comes to the Industry, it’s Fashion Week is often overlooked. Not as commercial as its Parsian and New York counterparts, and without the established aristrocary of the Milanese designers, it’s the one unfortunately that buyers and sometimes have to forgo in lieu of time, writes Sama Al Wasmi.

But to be honest, I have strived to go to every LFW I could because it is the most fashion forward of all its counter- parts. The British Fashion Council strives to create an environment that encourages dialogue, with various fashion events geared towards connecting designers to buyers in a non-commercial way. Since we are taking the overwhelm- ingly exhausting commercial aspect of the week out, buyers get to truly understand the designer’s unique perspectives while the designers are able to listen intently and under- stand what the commercial needs of specific markets are. More importantly I should add, you get to do this all with London as your backdrop; so how can it NOT be your favor- ite of all the weeks?

So here are my personal favorites…

JW ANDERSON - Honestly, JW Anderson will always and forever “bring it.” Standing at the helm as creative direc- tor of both LOEWE and his own brand; there is no end to the exceptionally auteuristic creativity of his designs. This season he mixes fabrics (many custom) in the most luscious and voluminous way, creating dresses and separates that are as deliciously wearable as they are directional. I don’t stay this very often, but I literally want almost everything I saw going down the runway!

Molly Goddard - I remember meeting Molly in a little show- room in London a few years back with her debut collection and its always refreshing to see how a designer has retained their style DNA but pushed their creativity into a commer- cial success. Amidst the signature tulle (this time juxta- posed with uber-wearable knits), I wonder what the future will look like for this young designer but for now I see a ton of young, creative KAWAI loving clients in her roster.

Richard Quinn - Speaking of DNA, Richard Quinn did not stray too far from his signature prints and volume this AW20, in a collection he named “Working Class Couture”. Retaining the unique ability to mix patterns in silhouettes not for the faint of heart, Quinn has managed to delve deeper into his brand of design in this collection. Much in the same way Halpern dominated the wedding guest scene in Kuwait a few seasons back (WOOHOO sequins), we are seeing more and more how Quinn has managed to normal- ize the use of audacious print and volume in special occa- sion dressing and I for one am HERE for it.