London Highlights

Lee McQueen created his iconic brand in 1992 and referenced his Scottish heritage in many collections before. He created a symmetry between strength and fragility and when Sarah Burton was appointed Creative Director of the brand in May 2010, she was able to carry McQueen’s vision throughout and succeeded until today.

Calligraphy flowers that were taken from hand-painted artworks created in the McQueen studio are printed on suits that give the illusion that it was actually drawn straight on. With a meticulous attention for detail, the S/S 20 collection seamlessly blends traditional tailoring with asymmetric features, a tailored jacket with satin bomber sleeved and a black tuxedo with lace elements. 

Oliver Spencer held their presentation at at Dinerama, an Asian street food market, which supported the brand’s celebration of the vibrant atmosphere of Hong Kong's famous night markets in their upcoming collection.

The designs are made out of organic cottons and linens and with around 40% of the collection being produced in the U.K and the rest being made in Portugal, the brand continues to take environmental friendly measures. Bold colors like teal and burnt orange are mixed with ecrus and contrasting blacks and navies to create an overall impression that is reflected in the metropolis that is Hong-Kong. 

Designer-duo Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto's merge Italian heritage with the raw intensity of London and created a story for their S/S collection by “Princess Julia”: “The JordanLuca muse walks, runs and dances in the darkness of an early morning or the laser beamed basement of a nighttime rave embracing the promise of the light to come. The crisp air that cuts into a mood and strokes cloth exposed skin. Comforting comfortable courageous.” 

This story translated into colorful, yet muted, abstract prints that come in the shape of neon green rats on a pant-jacket combo with metallic elements. Each piece holds many characteristics that truly show the duo’s eye for detail. One of our favorite looks is the red metallic coat with ruching on the arms that is combined with­­ black shorts, graphic socks and black and white sneakers.

Since 2012 the “GQ CHINA PRESENTS” project has recognized various Chinese designers and this year they introduced 8ON8. The brand was established in 2017 by founder and designer Li Gong and has been developing a retro-futurism aesthetic ever since. This collection was inspired by British sci-fi series Black Mirror’s episode “San Junipero”, where you can live forever through a post-death virtual world. 

The vision of letting go of the true self and going to wherever one wants (in the episode it is the 1980s), let Gong to create prints that are extracted from graffiti art of the 80’s with washed & worn effects on jersey to represent the underground club culture of that era. 8ON8’s take on modern tailoring blurs the lines between formal and athletic.

Jermyn Street is known for its fine tailors and heritage brands that every season collaborate on the St James’s open-air catwalk. 30 brands participated in the 5th consecutive summer show, which has been styled and curated by the Fashion Director of Esquire, Catherine Hayward.

32 looks in total from brands like Dunhill, John Smedley, Osprey, Edwards Green, Hawes & Curtis and many more.

British label St-Henri is all about creative fantasies and for their second presentation duringLFWM, they created a story built around the heart cave: “a fictional community of odd, yetfascinating characters, blending countercultural sensibilities and spirituality into a modernutopian aesthetic, held together by an all-American backbone.” 

French-Canadian designerJean-Loup Leblanc created distorted lines and patterns, acid washed and overdyed fabrics onoversized garments that are yet hugging the body. Pure and soft colors like white, green, yellow and brown set the dreamy atmosphere that work together with the brand’s ideology of responsible sourcing, using organic and high-grade fabrics exclusively. Furthermore, St-Henri stopped the use of animal leather and introduced ecological packaging solutions and innovative materials.

JD.com is China’s leading retail platform, so they teamed up with HLA x AEX and created their S/S 2020 collection together. It sees advanced outdoor fabrics mixed with modern elements to cater to the urban man. 

A number of suits that carry ergonomic details and antibacterial technology are the main focus of their collaboration, which tries to connect Asian inspiration and craftsmanship but “bring it to the world stage”.

UAE-born, but London-based, designer Khalid Qasimi, took the ongoing political tension in the Middle East as a backdrop for his collection. He created a positive and light collection collection built around the idea of an urban nomad and a utopian future. 

Qasimi thought back of his childhood in the Emirates, when picking sun-bleached colors, but further combines them with military canvas, heavy twills and ripstops – all nodding towards the current climate back home. Riveted garments mimic the nuts and bolts of armoured fighting vehicles juxtaposed against mesh and quilting. It is a sensitive and sensual collection that is “designed for these dark, somewhat turbulent times”.

Lou Dalton launched her label in 2008 and has since created contemporary yet timeless clothing that is functional at its core. For Spring/Summer 2020, she invited us on a camping trip with earthy tones that are mixed with various blue shades and a dreamy orange flowery print.

Bucket hats are accessorized to duffle coats that are made in partnership with Gloverall. Stripes and check are features as well and all comes together in this versatile collection, where you can mix-and-match throughout and still create a clean look.

Designer and founder Yi-Ling Kuo was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and in 2017 started her own label, 1x1 Studio after graduating from the London College of Fashion. For S/S 20, the brand presents a playful knitwear collection with the aim of bringing out new textural approaches from common fashion materials by using recycled fabrics and specialty yarns for example.

1x1 Studio try to explore more environmentally conscious avenues to fashion and design and in this collection using 80% sustainable materials. They go even further and created various sweaters that can be worn two ways and several garments offer functional details such as pockets for bottles, serving as a gentle reminder to make your own reusable lifestyle choices.

©1x1 Studio

Studio ALCH is a contemporary, sportswear inspired, label founded by Australian designer Alexandra Hackett and focusses on exploring the process of deconstruction and reconstruction to extend the lifespan of a product. In the past they collaborated with artists including Kendrick Lamar, Stormzy, Frank Ocean and Jorja Smith and since 2017, they worked with Nike on a multitude of different projects.

So for this collection, the collab continues and Studio Alch also works with renowned streetwear label Patta. Black, white, grey and neon yellow are the main colors that are featured on heat-fused polyethylenedenims and silk pieces emblazoned with line-drawings of floating carrier bags. And key pieces feature pockets with packable carrier bags enclosed that can be removed and utilized to reduce plastic usage.

After graduating with a Master of Arts degree from The Royal College of Art in 2017, Bianca Saunders explores her background of growing up in London with West-Indian heritage in her collections. Her S/S 20 collection titled ‘Character’ introduces a modern take on formal dressing and features her trademark of ruching in various pieces.

Light garments are mixed with heavier denim and various pants feature a slit in the middle, adding a feminine touch to the menswear looks.