Here comes Henrietta

A designer whose collections I absolutely adore is Henrietta Ludgate and last night I was excited to attend the launch of her brand new store in Whiteleys Shopping Centre. Entitled Work-shop, the space is kookily decorated with fabric rolls and is a lofty open space that showcases the brightly coloured sculpture of the Scottish designer’s collection perfectly.

Doubling up as a literal workshop, Ludgate is daringly putting herself on show in a bold move that will further encourage consumers to engage in the process of creating sustainable design.

Co-hosted by customers and ethical fashion champions, Livia Firth and Laura Bailey it was nice to see the usual suspects of our small niche of the industry.

LFW Diary SS12: Henrietta Ludgate

A true designer’s designer, Henrietta Ludgate is an Estethica staple, whose collections are the very definition of ‘sculptural’.

Happy 5th Birthday Estethica

Image courtesy of the BFC, depicting Livia Firth wearing From Somewhere and Laura Bailey wearing Henrietta Ludgate.

An initiative very close to my heart is the BFC's Estethica, which on Tuesday night celebrated its fifth birthday. Whilst I couldn’t attend the event in the end I’d still like to show my appreciation of this great platform.

Estethica was founded in 2006 showcasing 13 brands, and has since gone on to support a total of 108 international designers. All Estethica designers have been selected as they adhere to at least one of the three Estethica principles of fair-trade, ethical practices, organic and recycled materials and are selected for both their ethical credentials and design excellence.

Among those celebrating the landmark were chair of the BFC Harold Tillman, Livia Firth, Laura Bailey and Lucy Siegle.

Harold Tillman CBE commented:“This anniversary of Estethica marks an important milestone for the initiative and also for the fashion industry. Each season we see Estethica grow to support designers in new and exciting ways, thereby placing sustainable values at the forefront of fashion design. This is a chance to celebrate Estethica’s achievements and look forward to future ventures in promoting sustainable fashion”.

Livia Firth said: “Estethica is where it all began for me – it taught me to look at the politics and the production of fashion in a different way. With such talented designers I can only see Estethica getting bigger and better”.

LFW Diary SS11 Highlights: Estethica Exhibition

Founded over four years ago by the BFC, each season the Esthethica exhibition is a highlight on my LFW schedule and this time round I attended the champagne brunch. It was really nice to see designers whom I've worked with previously: Henrietta Ludgate, Lu Flux and Little Glass Clementine for a catch-up, whilst also discovering some cool new brands such as Michelle Lowe-Holder (below), Max Jenny and She Died Of Beauty.  

 Partimi is one of those labels I absolutely love when I see it at exhibitions and press days and stupidly forget about until I next see it, kicking myself for missing out on owning a piece from the previous collection. Entitled Dieu Bleu, founder/designer Eleanor Dorrien-Smith's SS11 offering is designed in homage to costumes her grandmother collected from a 1969 Sotheby's sale of Diaghilev's Ballet Russes costumes.

 It was great to see a sneak peak of Ada's superb SS11 collection; The Pyramora before the fashion show took place later in the week (read my review). Up-close Zanditon's geometric shapes were concise and meticulously constructed, her colour palette and textures rich and strong.

 

 Among the many labels exhibiting were supermodel Lily Cole, Isobel Davies (of Izzy Lane), Katherine Poulton and Alice Ashby's brand, The North Circular, who had some really great chunky knitwear.  

What I love most about Little Glass Clementine is how each of her pieces is entirely unique, weaving together the precious and the discarded, encouraging clients to contribute objects that hold special memories. An environmental activist and jeweller Clementine James recycles and remakes jewellery in the hope of retelling a story. I am a huge fan of Clementine and think her pieces are an exquisite fusion of past and present treasures, juxtaposed with found objects such as pebbles creating dramatic ruffs and statement pieces.

 Always a firm favourite Scottish Luxury Textile label Henrietta Ludgate was really impressive. I loved her departure from linen, utilising beautiful fabrics and cuts to create an eye-popping collection that for me at least, had a 60's romance to it. My favourite garment was the navy blue coat modelled for me below. I love the quilting, the patching and the cord trim - another item for my wish list.

The next designer I caught was the lovely Lu Flux whose collections I adore and this season I really like the menswear too and can really see myself in the jacket (above left) and the shorts (below).

 Nestled between two rooms was She Died Of Beauty, the ethical and organically produced label founded by Supermodel Erin O'Connor and Kate Halfpenny which produces printed bags and t-shirts.

 Last of all I spotted Max Jenny who creates abstractedly printed waterproof jackets that are pretty cool and would definitely aid your discovery if lost on a mountainside.

SS10 PRESS DAYS: Part Five

Yesterday I was thrilled to be invited along to the SS10 Alexander McQueen press day and was so excited that I made this my first port of call. Held in the heart of Soho, as I entered what stood out most was the surprisingly dark colour palette. I absolutely loved the juxtaposition of soft feminine silks and cottons with black leathers and denim.

I had three favourite pieces in total the first of which was the blue and white denim jacket called ‘Broken Glasses’. Whilst I wasn’t overly keen on the white pattern I loved the gold thread and the side zip detail and especially loved the puff sleeves which I felt defined the structure of the jacket perfectly.

My second favourite item was a distressed looking two tone leather biker jacket which had stud detailing down the length of the sleeves and several zips and pockets all over. I liked that it had been given extra details in order for it to stand out from all the other designers who make a leather jacket every season. One such detail was the white colour that had been applied to both the lapels of the jacket and the belt giving it a modern feel. Only available as made to order for me this jacket epitomised Alexander McQueen’s status as the rebel of British fashion.

Finally the third item that really caught my eye was a soft denim waistcoat which had been given detachable cotton sleeves that could be removed by unzipping them. I thought this was genius and that the design was flawless as it was so beautifully constructed and I felt that the luxurious fabrics used really complemented each other as it was really rich denim that you wouldn’t expect your average jeans to be made from.

The next press day on my list was that of Aqua and ML PRs. Held within the Groucho I unfortunately only found a few items of merit. Starting on the top floor at the Aqua press day I found only one brand I liked which was Hetty + Dave who had a great range of brooches.

Downstairs at ML PR there were a few designers who caught my eye such as a lingerie brand whose name I don’t remember who created a beautiful two tone night dress created from bra straps. I thought this was really innovative and something I would wear 100%.

What I liked so much about it was that it reminded me slightly of the bandage technique used by Hervé Ledger and made me wonder if you could get away with wearing it as outerwear. I’d certainly give it a try with thick black leggings and boots to toughen it up.

The only other brand I saw that I thought ‘wow, this is cool’ was Birdy Num Num Vintage who have one of the most obscure names I’ve ever heard of. What I liked about Birdy Num Num Vintage was the fact that they work to source and restore old and disrepaired vintage accessories.

I loved the great selection of snakeskin evening bags and clutches on display, some of which were antique and lovingly restored to their former glory. Other great items showcased were the most beautiful compacts from a variety of decades all available at really reasonable price points and a great way of evoking some old school glamour.

The last stop of the day was that of the Estethica press day held within the opulent Mayfair Hotel. With many ethical designers showcasing this was a rare opportunity to uncover new and emerging designer’s whist celebrating the best in British talent. The first designer I came across was the lovely Ada Zanditon whose work I discovered recently whilst writing an article about the Ethical Fashion Show at the recent Paris Fashion Week. What I love most about Ada’s designs is the beautiful fabrics and simple colour palette running throughout her collection of navy, red and white.

Among her many talents I love the sculptural element to her work which brings the garments to life even when on the hanger. I loved the delicate yet strong pleating that went into the top below and after inspecting the garments up close I would certainly love to wear them.

Two of my favourite pieces were the highly wearable linen shift dresses in red and navy. They’re chic, simple and versatile in that they can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion.

Another designer who I loved was Henrietta Ludgate whom I’d met recently at her individual press day. What I loved most about Henrietta’s designs (in addition to her brilliantly warm personality) was the high quality of both the British sourced fabrics and superior cut. I absolutely love the simplicity of her colour palette and clean lines, with beautiful details such as the soft three dimensional padded collars and sleeve cuffs– simply wonderful.

Other great designers I saw were Mark Liu whose layered laser cut linen dresses were delightful and I can only imagine that they will be flying off the shelves next summer.

Christopher Raeburn was of course a firm favourite of everyone in attendance due to his sheer collection of reinvented and recycled waterproofs made from parachute material.

Lastly the Environmental Justice Foundation stand caught my eye due to their high profile T-shirt range which saw many famed collaborators including Luella, Giles Deacon, Zandra Rhodes, Betty Jackson, Christian Lacroix and Alice Temperley to name but a few. Created for an undeniably good cause (to raise awareness of forced child labour and environmental abuses in cotton production) this capsule collection is sure to fly off the shelves next year.