NEWS| Fashion Scout Designers Shortlisted For LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize

We are pleased to announce that designers Anna October, Hellen van Rees and Paskal have been shortlisted for the LVMH Young Fashion Designer Award. Chosen from over 1,200 applicants, the winner will be selected from an industry panel which includes the likes of Karl Lagerfeld and Marc Jacobs on February 26th and 27th. As well as personal mentoring for a year from the LVMH team, the winner will receive a grant of €300,000. 

Born in Ukraine, Anna October debuted at Ukrainian Fashion Week with her SS11 collection. Soon after she showcased with Fashion Scout and since, attracted attention from top international press among the likes of Vogue and Business of Fashion, as well as being sold internationally. 

Hellen van Rees graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2012 and has since, with a standout aesthetic of tweed textures, made a name for herself. She was one of our Ones to Watch in September 2012 and has now finished her fourth collection under her label.

A womenswear designer creating garments of the sharpest quality, Julie Paskal studied architecture before launching her fashion label. Renowned for her minimalistic tendencies and innovative precision, Paskal took the Fashion Scout catwalk during the Kiev Fashion Days show this season at our Freemasons' Hall. 

All three designers will be showcasing their new collections in our Paris showroom from 27th February - 4th March.

Images: LVHM Prize press (top), courtesy of Hellen van Rees (middle).

PARIS SHOWROOMS| Save The Date AW14

Now that the AW14 season is over in London, Fashion Scout will take the talent to their Paris showroom. From the 27th February to the 4th March, the showroom will be showcasing the work of 18 designers, including our Merit Award winner Xiao LI. Attracting leading buyers, talent scouts and industry individuals from around the world keen to see the designer's work up close, it's situated in the heart of Marais. 

The designers that will be showcasing with us this season are:

Aether Studios

Andreeva

Anna K

Anna Oktober

D'Albert

Dioralop

Hellen van Rees

Kirsty Ward

Liz Black

Lera Leshchova

Mimi Fasi

Nathan French

Nova Chiu

Paskal

Taeseok Kang

Xiao Li

Yasya Minochkina

Yulia Kondranina

Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for constant updates. #FashionScout

By Josh Walker (@josh_walker_), Editor.

HIGHLIGHTS| Fashion Scout London AW14

COLLECTION| FAD AW14

SingYu Chan & Yuan Tian

Petulia Galvin

Lucia Graham

Sarah Kilkenny

Johanna Wahlman

Benjamin Callery

Bryony Strange

Hattie Buckwell

Veronica Davies

Annie Oakes

Cat Potter

Alexandra Olivier

Rhiannon Flora Wakefield

Amy Crofts

Nobuyuki Matsui & Moe Takahashi

Amy Konig

Fashion Awareness Direct is a fashion awards show which gives design students from Universities across the country an opportunity to develop their creative talent as they design looks based on a brief from FAD to be shown on the Fashion Scout catwalk. The lucky winner, as judged by a jury of fashion industry creatives, gains a £1000 prize to go alongside their invaluable experience.

This season's brief was ‘Multisensory’, and here is what our young designers had to offer:

Joint design team SingYu Chan and Yuan Tian kicked things off in style with laddered, textured knits and splashes of vibrant orange tones. 

Petulia Galvin experimented with a straight silhouette and a contrasting colour palette of white and bright orange.

Lucia Graham showcased abstract prints in a space age styled designs with metallic panelling.

Sarah Kilkenny’s creations were soft and feminine with elements of structure, her use of a neutral colour palette added to the delicate nature of her designs.

Johanna Wahlman went for thick wool knits contrasted over simple silk dresses in grey tones.

Benjamin Callery’s fisherman inspired looks featured blanket knits, patent inserts and a splash of neon.

Bryony Strange was innovative with her approach to fabrics as she used a folding technique in her designs and experimented with shape and layering.

Hattie Buckwell took a geometric approach to the brief, using geometric shaped panelling to create a sort of optical illusion.

Veronica Davies chose oversized cuts and metallic elements to go with her pastel colour palette.

Cat Potter combined soft ruffled textures with heavily line patterning.

Annie Oakes explored void spaces and the concept of loss of sight, she used braille labelling as decorative features.

Amy Crofts went for a super bright colour palette with neon features and innovative tasseling in contrasting colour tones.

Rhiannon Flora Wakefield’s menswear designs featured heavy, oversized roll-neck knits and suit jackets with yellow and blue block colouring.

Alexandra Olivier went for an elegance approach with use of mesh and pastel tones throughout.

Joint design team Nobuyuki Matsui and Moe Takahashi’s menswear looks featured soft, classic textures and innovative cuts.

Finally, Amy Konig’s designs took to the catwalk with a bold approach which utilised monochrome throughout and featured draping fabrics.

In the aftermath of the show, Rhiannon Flora Wakefield was announced as the winner, with Benjamin Callery as runner-up and Nobuyuki Matsui and Moe Takashi awarded the Orly Tenzer Prize for Textiles.

By Charlotte Muscat (@CharlotteMuscatLM9)

Photography by Jamike-Latif (@JaimikeLatif)

SPONSOR| Backstage at FAD with Freelance The Workspace

Our nail gurus for the week from Freelance The Work Space have been working hard to create nails designs to complement each of the designers’ collections for every show. In an exclusive interview, we spoke to Loris from Freelance The Work Space about their nail creations for our closing show of the week, FAD. 

The Creative Management, PR and Branding Agency, source projects internationally and were on hand backstage to prepare models for the FAD showcase.  Working with Fashion Scout London for five seasons, the agency have overseen beauty looks from countless designers and this evening gave stunning nails designs for the FAD catwalk show.

Which nail design are you using to compliment all the different designers in the FAD show?

We had originally thought about painting each of the model's nails the colour of the clothes they’re wearing but after the castings and careful consideration we have decided to take a different approach. We didn’t want to take focus away from the dressing so we’re creating a nude base with a half moon of colour at the bottom. It’s a subtle but clever way to incorporate the designers’ creativity into the models nails. 

Have you enjoyed working at Fashion Scout this season?

Working at Fashion Scout is always busy and chaotic, but that’s what we love about it and that’s what drives us. It goes a lot smoother than it looks. I wouldn’t miss working at Fashion Scout for the world; it’s a fantastic opportunity to work with new and upcoming designers.

Interview by Elizabeth Fenfrey (@ERenfrey)
Images by Sim D, (@SimD_8), taken on the fashion forward LumixGM1 (@PanasonicUK)

NEWS| International Fashion Showcase, Xiao Li & Joao Melo Costa

British Council's International Fashion Showcase this year exhibited the work of Fashion Scout Merit Award Winner Xiao Li as well as Joao Melo Costa from Portugal Fashion, who showcased earlier this week at the Freemasons' Hall. Located on The Strand, the venue plays host to fourteen showcases from our international designer counterparts. Highlights include Costa’s ‘Bloom as a Boom’ overcoat, which features laser-cut glittered rubber creation is interestingly displayed in a greenhouse setting. Playing on the striking lime green tone of the garment itself, its floral motif makes for a beautifully eye catching piece which looks to have taken inspiration from the natural world around us. 

Merit Award winner Xiao Li’s innovative knitwear creations are displayed as part of the China showcase, where two of her signature heavy knit pieces in lemon yellow and pale lilac are chosen to represent her AW14 collection. Shown on our catwalk on Saturday 15th February, the collection's oversized ribbed knits display a combination of starchy structure with a soft edge whilst exaggerated, intricately detailed necklines add further interest to Li’s award winning designs.

Charlotte Muscat (@CharlotteLM9)

Images by Hannah McGee (@HannahMcG3e) taken on the fashion forward LumixGM1 (@PanasonicUK)