In all the rush of London's packed-to-the-limits schedule, the capital's young designers have had a relatively quiet season. Perhaps it's because there's been so much focus on the last wave of names (Christopher Kane, Erdem, Simone Rocha, J.W. Anderson) as they've moved into the serious business of brand building.
On this last day, there seems to be a little more space to reflect on the new names – people like Ashley Williams, a recent Fashion East alumnus staging her first main schedule runway show. Like so many London names before her, from Vivienne Westwood and Pam Hogg to Danielle Scutt, punk rebellion lies at the root of Williams' aesthetic. And this time around, it was an intensely youthful variation on that theme – citing Elvira, Avril Lavigne, and a post-shoplift Winona Ryder as muses, and blaring Little Mix over the sound system for the finale. Models wore walk-of-shame ripped ballgowns and shirts, accessorized with skewed tiaras and dripping with costume jewelry. Sheer vests and dresses crawled with insect embellishments and fishnet prints.
Camden Market – spiritual home to London's emo, cyberpunk, and Goth tribes – was the other inspiration credit. It was a risky choice; the infamous market's cheap, throwaway energy is a million miles from the mostly luxurious, escapist visions on show elsewhere this week. But it felt honest, and heart-on-sleeve. It will be intriguing to see how Williams can evolve this sensibility in the seasons to come.
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