COLLECTION| Isabel Garcia SS15

The Isabel Garcia SS15 collection hit the Fashion Scout catwalk in style this afternoon as creative director Elliott James Frieze displayed billowing chiffons and intricately detailed silks drawing upon Asian influences throughout the collection. 

Antique, watercolour prints came to life in delicate, airy silhouettes all exuding an elegant, ultra feminine aesthetic, cinched waists juxtaposed against floating palazzo trousers and chiffon skirts to create a striking balance of structure and fluidity. Dragonfly and butterfly print featured heavily through abstract printed chiffons and hand embroidered satin textures. 

Attention to detail is key throughout Frieze's collection with screen printing, foiling, embossed leathers and elaborate bead work taking centre stage. Accessories are oversized, with thick belts, elongated white scarves and giant tasselled bags taking to the catwalk all in sumptuous muted leathers. A series of beaded lace pieces offers a sleeker more defined silhouette to the collection as full skirted pleated dresses provide a stunning contrast. 

Kimono style dresses in muted shades of peach, aqua, lime and yellow effortlessly glide down the catwalk, beautifully embellished and trailing tassels in contrasting tones. A diverse colour palette ranges from muted pastels to lavish jewel tones as Isabel Garcia introduce us to their take on Asian inspired design.

By Charlotte Muscat, (@CharlotteLM9).

Photographs by Elizabeth Hodson

COLLECTION| Le Photographe SS15

Headed by designer Christopher Beales, Le Photographe's SS15 collection takes inspiration from the biblical narrative of the "garden of temptation", showcasing a collection offering texture and detail in abundance. 

Le Photographe took to the Fashion Scout runway in the form of a presentation. Meshed mannequin formations filled the centre of the room as models strutted through displaying a collection in which the traditional collided with the contemporary with truly stunning results. Juxtaposing directional billowing hemlines with intricate floral embroidery, Beales' silhouettes bloom into organic shapes demonstrating an innovative take on classic design, exaggerated shoulder detail and faultless fabric manipulation culminate in an elegant yet modern aesthetic whilst still retaining a feminine edge. 

Illustrating a wealth of texture in the form of shredded jacquards and woven raffia and chiffon, Beales' attention to detail appears effortless, with floral prints trailing through to the inside of garments while tailored jackets and classic shirts are revived with voluminous, draped hemlines. A fresh colour palette of fuchsia pink, lemon, and white tones with an occasional hint of black beautifully complement a collection in which organic shape takes centre stage. Beales offers a contemporary interpretation of classic evening wear throughout.

By Charlotte Muscat, (@CharlotteLM9).

Photographs by Hugo Noguiera

COLLECTION| Jay Briggs SS15

This morning in the Fashion Scout Vestibule designer Jay Briggs transported onlookers into a world of water nymphs and powerful sorceresses. His SS15 collection, 'Melusina', is inspired by a 14^th century tale, displayed intricate headpieces and hand-sewn chain-mail gowns designed to be worn by fearless, sovereign women.

The tale of Melusina tells the story of a prince who falls in love with a water nymph who agrees to marry him with the condition that she can bathe in the lake they met every year, without him looking. That promise however is broken. “I’ve twisted the story and said that he’s caught her bathing, and found out she is a water nymph and not a human being, so she swings her fin around him and drowns him,” explains the designer. “So the story behind this collection is that a man will always promise something to a woman he can’t understand.”

Using lace, leather and feathers as his main materials, Briggs created extremely feminine garments, which highlighted the power of femme fatales using transparencies and embellishments without forcing daintiness. Dressing a woman who shows independence, he describes her as someone who "stands on her own to feet. I want people to fear her.”

Highly focused on the contrasting textures and the juxtaposition of shimmering and opaque, the center piece of the collection is a full-white feathered dress with structured hips, complimented by a shimmering headdress in white lace taking the form of horns and framing the model’s white-painted face and body. Combined, these give the otherworldly dress an eerie, even more mythical feel which contrasts strongly against the darker garments on the mannequins.

When it comes to his creative process, the designer starts his creations straight onto the mannequin, which allows more hands on structuring. Another highlight of the show was a hand-sewn, seemingly delicate floor-length chain-mail dress, made of a sheet of fabric found in a most unusual way. “I was taking the trash out at work, and the bag was very heavy,” says the designer, “And I don’t know why, but I looked into it to see why it was so heavy and found this massive sheet of metal, which I used to hand-sow this floor-length gown.”

About his new collection, the designer hints that “there might be a form of religion in there”. Currently inspired by 15^th century stories we're sure that whatever it is Jay Briggs designs for next season, there's no doubt we'll be transported to a new world of witchcraft and wonder.

By Biju Belinky (@bijubelinky)

Images by Elizabeth Hodson.

COLLECTION| Vita Gottlieb SS15

Graduating from Central Saint Martins MA Fine Art in 2006, Vita Gottlieb focused on hand print and heavy layered texture. Sending the models down the runway with delicate sandy tones and coral peachy flowing dress, the designer infused her collection with a narrative taken from her curiosity with the underwater world.

Her signature is strengthened in this collection with intricate hand pleated panels and fluid silhouettes balanced with silk. Fabrics are employed to create a sensual dialogue between materials and the skin. The garments roam the body, alluding to flow movement under the surface with sheer layers over pewter and smoky deep blue. The designer played with dramatic texture on the pieces with layers and pleating but maintained the feminine side with leather glove and loose dresses. Juxtaposition and the fusion of opposites are integral to Vita Gottlieb’s design.

When it came to the colour plate, she used earthy tones and contrasted them with sheer dark navy and sharp orange. Featuring the details with clean-cut lines using layering, the reef print patterns pieces gave a sophisticated, yet modern look to the traditional cut.

Layered and flowing, summery movement was released through a soft yet eye-catching collection.

By Bowen Lee, (@bowenleely).

Photographs by Elizabeth Hodson

COLLECTION| Swedish School of Textiles SS15

The Swedish School of Textiles is located in Boras, a region that has been for so long the centre for manufacturing of clothing and textiles in Sweden. The School, the only one of its kind in Sweden, has close to 3,000 students and over 100 employees. It's prestige sees it boast amongst its facilities one of the very few full-scale textile manufacturing environments within a third level institution. 

This afternoon at Fashion Scout we got to witness a taste of the creativity, diversity and uniqueness that flourishes inside the School as 15 students revealed their designs for SS15.

Seeking to answer what the driving force behind fashion is, while also to uncover what new methods can be uncovered in design, the degree collections touch on folklore and cheerleaders among others. The rich flora of detail, including intricate braidwork and sash pleats, blend well with a focus on body, function, weight and movement.

The display opened to an incredibly high standard thanks to Felix Roll and '3-6 Sec of Movement'. Clothing the body in a bubble form reminiscent of lampshades, Roll pushed the boundaries in his design process allowing minimal styling to let the beautifully ornate garments to shine. Swedish edge at its best.

Following this structured look, Johanna Billeqvist contrasted things in her work, which draped the female form. Working to explore the potential of fusing pumps and archetypical garments through material manipulation, Billeqvist created a futuristic look for SS15.

Turning to menswear, Miguel Lucas De Simas Martins used products as his muse in designing. Describing fashion as packaging for the body, his bold collection had elements of 3D while retaining wearability in its construction. 

Linda Dekhlas's 'Inlay' contrasted nude with black and showcased her impeccable ability at merging knitting, weaving and texture with tactility, structure and shape. 

For Anna Johansson, models were introduced to a chorus of 1920's Prohibition style music, setting the tone for her modern take on the Flapper movement. Signature baggy dresses, accompanied by covered hair, are now worn longer and decorated in linear prints.

Gabrielle Vallejos Castro combines hologram material with grey wool in her collection of looses dresses with metallic insertions. Ribbing and fringed seams create tension also, allowing design to create itself when gravity and movement occur.

A unisex collection was delivered by Majli Af Ekenstam, who describes it as an "epic sensation twentyfourseven." Fluid prints and material make up 'Bryt!', which is about new approaches to print and the sensation of colour.

As Sara-Lovise Ewertson's models appeared, to a soundtrack that felt like we had entered 

a notorious techno club in Berlin, rawness and texture were obvious motifs in her work. Named 'Snow Beast Laser Tornado', Ewertson's work was outlandish and fantastic in its onslaught on spectators. Stripper heels and faceless masks made it especially daring.

Tight fits were juxtaposed against diversified tufting with Karin Mellqvist. Exploring that technique with the aim to investigate fringes in different materials and lengths, Mellqvist focuses on it's ability to create shape and texture in womenswear. 

'Fruit Core' by Hanna Freese saw gentle draping awakened by slash-pleats. Mellow contrasts in colour allowed new expressions to be developed in womenswear through volume and placement.

Per Hanson's male showcase was titled 'Braided Body, Strings that Move.' Playing on the masculine aesthetic of a fisherman, Hanson created a new take on contemporary menswear through his use of tubular braiding, which was often akin to fishnets. 

Joanna Karlsson wanted to surprise the viewer for SS15 in her collection of 3D, retro and pixelated designs. Inspired by folklore and fairytales we see giant butterflies and Red Riding Hood-esque head pieces, along with hints of canine and rabbit intervention, placed on the catwalk as she attempts to create new expressions in dress.

The showcase closed with Master students from the School, the first of whom was  Ina Hjelte. This collection showcased garments that had been reduced of all unnecessary cuts and seams, but rather highlighted the interwoven delicate fabrics crafted through cuts and layers.

Andreas Eklof's rugged designs were created with the outdoors in mind. Merging fashion with action, Eklof used sticky tape as the basis for this work. Using corporate logos, neons and high-vis material, his collection makes huge statements, in both boldly and underlying manners.

Closing proceedings, Emelie Johansson's collection, 'Motion Blur' highlights the dynamic between prints and garments. Each print motif is highly alluring and is complimented greatly by the movement in each piece's construction. Beautiful sheens contrasted against matte fabric ensures the intricate patterns don't verge into the kaleidoscopic. 

By Clarissa Waldron (@thisisclarissa)

Photos by Florian Schauder