(Image of Molly Goddard's runway show from London Fashion Week in February).
September's London Fashion Week is opening its doors to the public with the Positive Fashion Designer exhibition at The Store X, until 17th September. The exhibition was created to increase inclusivity and allow more people to join in a celebration of fashion’s creativity and community.
The exhibition focuses on Positive Fashion - the British Fashion Council’s initiative designed to champion industry best practice in three areas: Sustainability, Equality & Diversity, Craftsmanship & Community.
New designers have been invited to tell their stories, demonstrating how things are made, to educate and inspire audiences on some positive changes within the industry.
Image: Hanna Fiedler
Designers include Hanna Fiedler, a London-based womenswear brand which works with a small-scale network of manufacturers across the UK and uses traditional tailoring techniques.
Image: HER.O
HER.O, a newly formed luxury woman's label specialising in innovative knitwear and bespoke, handmade pieces designed by founders Alice Smith and Lee Farmer. The brand is dedicated to slow-fashion, creating thoughtful, handcrafted one of a kind pieces from recycled and repurposed fabrics.
Image: Alisa Ruzavina
Alisa Ruzavina, a fashion and textiles designer, who recently graduated from Central Saint Martins BA Fashion Print in 2018, will present her own collection "Love Bomb", as well as her recent collaborative collection "Stories from the Faraway Land: Armila", fully co-designed with a local community from Guna Yala, Panama.
The Ruzavina Collection is part of the bigger project she is running in the village, helping a group of 30 indigenous artisan women to set up a textile cooperative, and researching ways in which craft can be used as a tool for climate change education and action for both the makers and the viewers. The project is possible thanks to the support from British Council Crafting Futures scheme.
Visit Positive Fashion Designer Exhibition for more information.
Blog post by Kate Grinnell