Xiao Li AW15 - Keep healthy, Avoid Fashion!

I fist discovered Xiao Li when I attended the Royal College of Art MA graduation show. 

(see http://www.unpolishedsapphire.com/2013/06/royal-college-of-art-ma-graduation-show_3002.html). 

She graduated with an MA in Womenswear Knitwear and graduation collection didn't leave industry insiders unresponsive. She went on to sell her creations at Opening Ceremony and 10 Corso Como in Beijing and Seoul and she has also been recently nominated for LVMH Young Fashion Designer Award. The designer made a splash with her 3D, oversized knitwear pieces combined with new innovative manufacturing techniques. 

Her most recent collection signed "Keep healthy, Avoid fashion!" taps into the never-ending problem that the industry is facing: fast fashion vs. beautifully crafted design, but also goes a step further and makes a statement on the genetically modified produce we find on the market (GMO!OMG! knitted graphics and messages are to be noticed throughout the entire collection). 

JAMIE WEI HUANG AW15 - NYMPHOMANIAC

Based on Jamie Wei Huang's strong beliefs on seeking inner-self through design, her AW15 collection tells a story about a young woman and her libidinous life inspired by the film Nymphomaniac. 

The collection sets aside society's expectations of women and emphasises their buried desires and fantasies with elegance and subtlety. Nymphomaniac uses metaphors to unravel the struggles that the main character experienced while contradicting society's viewpoints on love, sex and pain, Eventually coming to peace with her subconscious and embracing her true being. 

The collection is made of contrasts, placing the harsh alongside the delicates; pairing the eye-catching elements against ordinary silhouettes. The collections displays the feminine and gentle sides of the character with the use of pink and blue sheepskins and fur trimmings. While the use of bolod knots, cat o'nine tails and metal accents reveals her masculinity and sexual fantasies.

The Nymphomaniac was created to provoke each one of our subconscious desires through the use of different fabrics and textures. The hybrid combination of materials signifies the need that is buried within each of us. 

Liz Black AW14 - London Fashion Scout