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Saturday, 17 September 2011

Leutton Postle Spring Summer 2012




Photography by Lucas Seidenfaden

Merit Award winner Leutton Postle attracted the attention than none other than Louise Wilson, director of MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins.

The Vauxhall Fashion Scout's Merit Award is a world renowned showcase for London’s most innovative new designers.  This year the venue filled with onlookers eager to lay eyes on winning duo Leutton Postle’s catwalk debut. The front row attracted the attention of none other than Louise Wilson, director of MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins. The room was alive with excitement. It was 7pm, every seat in the house was filled, photographers found every inch of space to place their tripods, and then the moment came. This long awaited show had begun.

Models steadily emerged from behind the scenes, their long hair down, slicked back and nude make up other than the multicolored patchwork of lipstick covering their mouths. As each one paced before us, we were able to fully absorb the reason they were such deserved winners. The knitwear collection was a multicolored offering of sensational blanket like pieces. There was a gentle heritage feel from the patchwork garments that interacted with the traditional qualities of knit. A pastel color palette was interjected with the occasional scrap of green or orange. Whether head to toe or just a patch here and there, jumbo fringing was one consistent theme that manifested itself in various distinctive ways. With a selection of knit techniques on offer whey were able to create a distressed and rustic quality. Garments hug loosely from the shoulders, with breaks in the knit to glimpse hints of the flesh beneath, contrasting thick pieces to he fragility of skin. Tunics, one legged trousers, and full jumpers all features but the final dress was a perfect example of the design pairs skill and talent. Full length and unrestricting multicoloured fringing hung from a muticoloured grid that embalmed a thin mesh like knit. As the model made her final walk, this dress showed fluidity of movement and a softness amidst this strong collection. Youthful, exuberant, and playful, this bright collection earned its crowd.

When the show was over it was clear to see the emotion in the designers as they quickly snuck out front to see loved ones and friends. Despite tears of relief and overwhelming emotion the pair did give me a few words. “We feel great, good, very emotional,” Jenny said. After discussing their influences of crazy paving and IKEA cookbooks, taking a lot of visual imagery and translating it into fabrics, Sam gave us a little hint to what’s next for them, “we are going to sleep, sleep, oh, and party.”

Text: Samantha Farr