LONDON — The Central Saint Martins annual BA fashion show showcased designs from 41 fashion students studying women’s wear, men’s wear, print, knitwear and fashion design and marketing.
This year’s show commemorated fashion director Willie Walters, who stepped down from her role as BA course director after 24 years teaching at the fashion institution. During her tenure, Walters taught designers including Riccardo Tisci, Phoebe Philo, Grace Wales Bonner, Hussein Chalayan, Craig Green, Charles Jeffrey, Christopher Kane and Gareth Pugh.
The collections at the BA show ranged from creative to edgy with some that oozed provocative attitude. Some students didn’t hold back and voiced their stance on issues through their collections. Some conceptual looks showcased in the form of a protest were adorned with statements that opposed Brexit or slogans such as “Daddy’s Offshore Account” and “North South Economic Divide.”
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Soyoung Park, a knitwear student, won the L’Oréal Professionnel Young Talent Award. She wanted to focus on a “different point of view” for her collection, which had a ladylike, mismatched vibe fusing her knitwear aesthetic. Standouts included knitted pieces such as deconstructed outerwear, dresses, asymmetrical skirts and billowy trousers.
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LVMH Grand Prix scholar Sergiy Grechyshkin — who won the Sophie Hallette award — sent a range inspired by the Greek celebratory ritual of Bacchanalia, an ancient tradition of worshiping Bacchus, the god of wine. The line created by the 35-year-old women’s wear student was also influenced by the Twenties and contrasted the feminine with the masculine. His rendition of see-through flapper style dresses with exquisite lace appliqués was created with Sophie Hallette lace, vinyl, paper, mesh and wire. Grechyshkin undertook placements at Louis Vuitton and Lanvin while studying.
Women’s wear student Imogen Wright’s offered a twist on classic proportions including oversize trousers and an eccentric take on shirting in the form of twists and pleating. The 23-year-old interned at labels including Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton and was a design assistant at Céline.