Fashion Scout is turning 20, but there’s no nostalgic looking back here. For London Fashion Week, its Ones To Watch programme looked to tomorrow and handed the spotlight to eight emerging designers who came armed with giant hats, serious shoulders, sculptural dresses and enough texture to leave minimalists shaking in their Margiela tabi boots.
Adolf Maldonado is back after his Fashion Scout debut, and he’s clearly not in the mood to tone things down. Menswear gets the couture treatment with plunging necklines, glossy ice-blue satin and clouds of shaggy texture. It’s soft, sexy and a little bit fabulous. Exactly the sort of thing you wear when a plain shirt simply won’t do. And ofc a really, really, really big hat.
Things get even wilder with C.PROTOCOL, from Jinmin Chen and Cenyi Wang. The duo mixes 3D printing and digital design with fashion, including a silver headpiece that looks somewhere between futuristic armour and a very glamorous alien royal being. Practical? Perhaps not. Fun to look at? Absolutely.
CHATCHAI C knows his way around tailoring, but thankfully doesn’t take the suit too seriously. Designer Chatchai Chaitrakulthong gives us a sharp pinstripe suit layered under a bold rust-red leather jacket, packed with buckles, straps, painted details and plenty of attitude. It’s Savile Row meets something much wilder. Polished underneath, beautifully chaotic on top.
Christine Elizabeth brings things back to texture, using woven cloth and tactile surfaces as the star of the show. Her signature aesthetic is characterised by intricate textile construction and a considered approach to colour and form.
Jinseo Park turns volume all the way up. Soft champagne and cream fabrics explode into huge puffed sleeves, sculpted hips and sweeping shapes that almost seem to float around the body. It’s romantic, theatrical and gloriously oversized, because sometimes a normal-sized sleeve simply isn’t enough.
Leila Daniele lets texture do the talking. Woven fabrics are draped and gathered into easy, body-skimming shapes, moving from a soft cream mini dress to rich bronze tones with loose threads and raw details. It feels earthy, elegant and just undone enough, proof that a little fraying around the edges can be a very good thing.
Enny, meanwhile, mixes Italian heritage with modern London life, with a focus on clothes that feel beautifully made rather than overly fussy. A floaty yellow printed dress arrives topped with a truly enormous straw hat. And we mean enormous. Beach umbrella? Hat? Architectural extension? The designer’s view on silhouettes, refined details and a strong focus on craftsmanship gives the collection warmth and personality.
And finally, MAD DAISY treats fashion like something you might find in a gallery but actually get to wear. Founded by Dr Margarita Fedoseev, the label mixes art, technology and clothing, proving that getting dressed can be a little weird, thoughtful, angular and powerful all at once.
After 20 years, Fashion Scout still knows how to find designers with something to say. This group certainly isn’t short on ideas. Big hats, bigger shoulders and absolutely no fear of being noticed. London Fashion Week could use more of it.
Words by Lewis Robert Cameron
Photography by Yuri Stuppia @yuriweaver__
Designers:
ADOLF MALDONADO @__maldonado__a
C.PROTOCOL @c.protocol_official
CHATCHAI C. @chatchai.c___
CHRISTINE ELIZABETH @christineelizabeth_official
ENNY @enny.atelier
JINSEO @j_in_seo
LEILA DANIELE @leiladanieleofficial
MAD DAISY @maddaisyofficial
Production: Fashion Scout @fashionscout
Show Production: Paul Swaby @cult_of_fashion
Styling: Rebekah Roy @rebekahroy_
Hair: Sally Beauty | UNITE Hair. Hair led by Narad Kutowaroo, UK Creative Director and Ambassador for UNITE Hair @naradkutowaroo @unite_hair_uk @sallybeautyuk
Make-up: AOFM Makeup Academy. Make-up led by Mandy Gakhal for AOFM Makeup Academy @mandygakhal @aofmakeup
Show PR: I.Dea PR @i.deapr
Backstage Food: People Pleaser Salads @peoplepleasersalad
Steamers: Propress @propressuk
