NEWS| The Body Shop Return As Sponsors To Fashion Scout SS15

We are thrilled to announce that The Body Shop are returning as sponsors for the Fashion Scout London SS15 season.

Led by head make up artist Lan Nguyen, The Body Shop are returning to continue creating the beautiful make-up looks for many of the Fashion Scout designers as they have for the past number of seasons. With The Body Shop hosting pop-up stalls and on-site makeovers in the past, we look forward to having them back with us this season.

Check back to the blog in between now and September, as well as during Fashion Week to keep up with what The Body Shop have lined up throughout the five days. 

In the meantime, see The Body Shop mash-up video from AW14 below!

Images by Jamike-Latif, (@JamikeLatif) and Oliver Savage, (@OliSav).

EXCLUSIVE| Fashion Scout SS15 Provisional Schedule

The provisional schedule for the Fashion Scout SS15 London catwalk showcase is now live. Taking place during London Fashion Week, we are excited to showcase our selection of the most innovative and creative designers from around the world.

Taking place from Friday 12th September until Tuesday 16th September, the showcase will be hosted at The Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden.

With catwalk shows, presentations and the return of our exhibition taking place throughout the five days, we welcome back regulars to our schedule Jamie Wei Huang, Little Shilpa and Ming, as well our coveted Ones to Watch and Merit Award showcases. This season, the Ones to Watch winners were announced as Cassandra Verity Green, Keiko Nishiyama, Min Wu and Youjia Jin and the Merit Award as Gyu Yuni Kimchoe.

For press and sales contacts, including ticket requests please visit the designer page on our website. 

By Josh Walker, Editor, (@josh_walker_).

EXCLUSIVE| Fashion Scout Graduate Showcase Designers Confirmed

Fashion Scout can now announce the SS15 Graduate Showcase complete line-up.

Alongside the Merit and Ones To Watch awards, the Graduate Showcase was chosen by a panel who unanimously decided on the collective, including Hilary Alexander, Robert Cavell-Clarke from Not Just A Label, Judith Tolley of CFE, stylist Rebekah Roy and Fashion Scout Director Martyn Roberts. This season's completed line up is made up of 11 Graduates, who include: Anita Hirlekar; Camilla Grimes; Charlotte Knowles; Emma Hardstaff; Grace Weller; 
Holly Jayne Smith; James Kelly; 
Luke Bullen; Ondrej Adamek; Rebecca Swann and 
Quoi Alexander.

A launch pad for new graduate talent, the Graduate Showcase during Fashion Scout is a platform to raise the profile of recently graduated emerging talent. Following Graduate Fashion Week, Fashion Scout is one of the first places to see the very best new UK Graduates and will take place in Fashion Scout's venue at the Freemasons’ Hall in Covent Garden during London Fashion Week.

Grace Weller from Bath Spa University (above) was announced as the GFW 2014 Gold Award winner with Philip Treacy OBE presenting the Award to Grace during GFW.

Anita Hirlekar's, previous designer of the Vogue X Muuse collaboration, collection included complex textural architecture which was balanced beautifully by the simple bold stokes of colour throughout.

Charlotte Knowles' collection saw dark, structured gowns offset with ethereal, sheer chiffon and thousands of tiny pins to create a picture of dark creatures. She graduated from the London College of Fashion.

Emma Hardstaff, having previously studied at Edinburgh University, won the David Band Textiles Award at GFW. Now, having completed her Masters’ at the Royal College of Art in London, she will show her latest collection as part of the Graduate Showcase.

Rebecca Swann of Nottingham Trent University (above) offered a textured collection of monochrome woven knits with a tactile quality and was presented at GFW 2014 with the Stuart Peters Knitwear Award. Swann is amongst some of the most notable graduates from Nottingham Trent with Aimee Dunn, Natasha Gilliland, Nga Wun (Kitty) Mok, Haomeng (Vicky) and Deng.

James Kelly is a designer with a huge interest in the strange, dreamy and ambiguous in which his collections include explorations of texture and shape.

Camilla Grimes was awarded the Creative Catwalk Award by Not Just A Label’s Stefan Siegal during GFW 2014 for her giant pink jackets and amazing faux fur pieces.

Luke Bullen, LCF graduate's collection contains delicate white sheets with unfinished hems, with the models’ faces only just visible underneath these unique creations. His collection combine a mix of the ethereal and the dark.

Ondrej Adamek produces colourful, origami-like creations that often tower above his models' heads or obstruct their faces entirely. He was awarded with the L'Oreal Professionnel Creative Award, whose judging panel included designer Christopher Kane at the Central Saint Martins graduate show.

Quoi Alexander, Central Saint Martin’s graduate, produces collections that work with an array of pieces made from woven neon ribbons, coiled tape and net.

And lastly, Holly Jayne Smith from Birmingham City University featured high hats and bold prints along with monochrome stripes and cut-out details throughout GFW 2014. An aesthetic she's sure to bring to the Graduate Showcase.

Be sure to keep up to date with everything SS15 on the blog, our Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

By Lauren West 

Images, courtesy of the designers

SS15 PREVIEW| Hema Kaul

Hema Kaul is a woman of many talents; taking on family businesses of hotels, construction, water development and everything in between, Hema couldn’t sideline her true love of fashion design. Her vintage inspired collections add modernity to traditionally feminine designs, exquisite fabrics influenced by her travels worldwide. Showing with Fashion Scout for her third season, we chat to the designer in an exclusive preview to find out more about her upcoming collection.

Fashion Scout: What were your key inspirations for SS15?

Hema Kaul: I would say retro, vintage fashion moments from past decades, with a tropical twist.

FS: The sketches you sent over have a very feminine look.

HK: Yes, they are very feminine. It’s my natural flair for understanding the female form that ensures this collection will be a future classic.

FS: In terms of the detailing on the sketches you sent over, can we expect digital prints or more couture embellishments and embroidery?

HK: A combination of both embroidery and digital prints.

Fashion Scout: Does your upcoming collection have a name?

HK: No, not yet...

FS: Do you design with particular occasions or specific women in mind?

HK: My clothes are designed keeping in mind the women who are confident to fulfil their given responsibilities, but never stop seizing opportunities to become better and pursue what they truly love.

FS: How do you begin the process of designing a brand new collection?

HK: It starts with a lot of research, sourcing and sampling.

FS: What are the main benefits of working with Fashion Scout for you?

HK: It gives my work an international platform.

FS: What or who are you looking forward to this season at Fashion Scout?

HK: This is my third season at Fashion Scout and every year it just gets better and becomes a whole new experience. I’m looking forward to seeing Little Shilpa’s presentation this year. 

By Isabella Silvers, Contributor, (@izzymks).
Images, courtesy of Hema Kaul.

SS15 PREVIEW| One to Watch Min Wu

Womenswear designer Min Wu has gone from strength to strength since graduating from the London College of Fashion in 2013. Wu’s collections have been met with much acclaim with her sculpted silhouettes and digitally printed gradients of colour making for a mesmerising signature style. 

With Min Wu being named a One to Watch by this season's Fashion Scout panel we caught up with her to find out the inspirations behind her latest SS15 collection and what we can expect to see from her when her pieces hit the catwalk in September.

Fashion Scout: What has inspired your SS15 collection?

Min Wu: For my SS15 collection I began by looking at the concept of human connection and how we as human beings perceive ourselves and our actions. I thought about the notion of the self. I find it interesting that, for example, if a person is driving a car and the car hits another person, it is a human response to say ‘I hit a person’ so with this as a starting point I explored how people describe themselves in relation to their actions. I was also inspired by our connection to the world through vision, we see images from cameras everyday and everywhere so ultimately our eyes have the capability to be everywhere albeit metaphorically. In terms of fabric manipulation I am inspired by looking at the things that people attach to their bodies, such as piercings. I explored the way in which skin stretches and changes when it is tattooed, with this in mind I have chosen to play with fabrics in that same way throughout this collection and have used them to express a person's feelings and emotions.

FS: Can you tell us about your design aesthetic?

MW: My design aesthetic has continued on from last season and hopefully grown in the same direction. I took my last collection as a starting point for my SS15 collection but made this one a lot more summery. The fabrics which I use in my designs allow for my aesthetic to show a contrast between structure and fluidity, creating strong shapes throughout my collection. In terms of colour palette I always do my fabric research six months before each collection launches. We start with sourcing fabrics and choosing colours and then begin to make samples using different techniques. I really care about attention to detail so my aesthetic is always very clean and finished. Structure is a really important aspect of my design aesthetic, and the silhouettes in my collection change a lot throughout the process.

FS: How has your collection evolved throughout the design process?

MW: It has changed a lot! As you go further along the design process, you uncover so many beautiful things which you could never have imagined in the beginning and you tend to change your mind a lot. My vision of my collection has changed since my starting point. I start by taking one direction and through that I tend to see more beauty in other things so rather than having a finished product that completely reflects my original inspiration I instead see the evolution of my collection.

FS: What fabrics and techniques you have used to help to create your vision in your SS15 collection?

MW: It is very important to me to ensure that the finishing on all of my garments is perfectly faultless and so it is important that I utilise techniques which will help to make my pieces look good. I work very closely with my machinist and we discuss the ways in which we can manipulate each fabric to look the exact way that we have envisioned it to be within the collection. All of the little details are so important to the overall continuity of the collection.

FS: How does it feel to be named a One to Watch?

MW: Very exciting! When I got the call I was really, really happy about it! It's a great opportunity and I am excited to see who else is named a One to Watch!

FS: What can we expect to see from Min Wu in the future?

MW: After showcasing at Fashion Scout London, I will be going to Paris to show my collection at the Fashion Scout Showrooms which I am very excited about! We also have a fashion event which we will be showing at in Beijing in October and another event hosted by Shanghai Fashion Week in collaboration with the British Fashion Council. They held the same event last year with another very famous Chinese boutique so I am very excited to be a part of it this year. Another project that I will be working on has been inspired by one of my best friends getting married. I am working on a bridal wear project in which I hope to create a more fashionable and less conventional take on bridal wear.

FS: What are you excited about us seeing in your new SS15 collection?

MW: We are working on shoes for the new season which is great I am not a footwear designer but I love shoes. We have found a shoe sampling studio and they really understand my vision which is good so I am really excited about that.

Interview by Charlotte Muscat, Contributor, (@CharlotteLM9)
Images, by Hannah Farrell, (@HFazzzz).