Future of Fashion: The Westminster BA Fashion Show 2024

The University of Westminster’s BA Fashion program has long been a launchpad for fashion talents, and their annual runway show for this year’s graduates did not disappoint. Under the directorship of Rosie Wallin, the course is known for guiding students to uncover their personal design philosophies and exposing them to direct industry experiences, It’s mission is to produce responsible, and employable graduates who are poised to shape the future of fashion. .

Rosie Wallin, the course director, highlights the course’s prestigious reputation: “The BA (Hons) Fashion Design Course at the University of Westminster has an international reputation for producing world-class graduates who populate global design teams at every level of the market.” Wallin’s leadership ensures that Westminster graduates are highly sought after, thanks to their creative and technical skills.

This year’s graduates showcased an impressive range of concepts and competencies, from 3D printing and embroidery to exquisite tailoring and innovative print. Each collection tells a different story, reflecting the diverse inspirations and craftsmanship of these budding designers.

Isabel Ealand: Subverting the Spectacle
Isabel Ealand draws inspiration from the drama and jeopardy of Victorian circus performers, translating this into dynamic 21st-century womenswear. Her pieces explore weight and resistance through fabric choices and striking silhouettes. The standout piece is a long ivory jersey dress with precise, circular cutouts and dramatic inset Perspex mirror circles and hoops, creating futuristic shapes.

Olivia Stewart: ‘It’s just clothes!’
Scottish designer Olivia Stewart challenges the seriousness of the fashion industry with her collection, “It’s just clothes.” By overturning recognisable garments and fabrics, she recalls mass fashion favorites, resulting in pieces that feel oddly familiar and nostalgically playful. An oversized sequin, for instance, balances silliness and chic, aiming to give clothing their sparkle back.

Lydiah Holder: Honouring Melrose
Lydiah Holder pays homage to her late grandmother and the Windrush generation with a vibrant menswear collection. Drawing from 50s and 70s styles, her bold graphic prints and luxurious fabrics like velvet, wool, and satin celebrate the enduring impact of Caribbean culture on British society.

Lydia Pipili: Timeline
Through a personal tribute, Lydia Pipili’s collection offers protection and relief to the inspiring women in her family. Using creative silhouettes that shield the wearer and incorporating structures to carry burdens, her pieces reflect a timeline of family photographs, including a ‘wedding dress’ symbolising hope and a brighter future.

Joseph Brimicombe: The End Is Never
Joseph Brimicombe presents a sophisticated men’s ready-to-wear collection, reflecting on his journey as a designer. Using denim, drill, and jersey fabrics, his layered looks are softened with bold knitwear and detailed outerwear surfaces created with laser-engraving and smocking techniques.

Markos Tranakas: Linear Principles and Infinite Progressions
Markos Tranakas strives to redefine mid-century elegance with his collection, featuring vibrant clashes of colors like plum and marine blue. Drawing inspiration from artistic movements such as Constructivism and Optic Art, his pieces are crafted from the finest Laurent Garigue wool, creating chic and uncompromising silhouettes.

Rachael Tyler: Salary men
Inspired by the disheveled salarymen of Tokyo, Rachael Tyler challenges traditional business wear with playful menswear. Using unexpected fabrics and exaggerated shoulders, she contrasts formal shapes with the softness of undergarments, creating a collection that celebrates what lies beneath.

Jessica Parry: Outdoor Couture
Jessica Parry’s experimental statement pieces combine her sporty style with event-worthy drama. Using unconventional waterproof nylon and rip-stop materials, her bold, bright dresses embrace movement, bringing a fresh irreverence to fashion by merging couture draping methods with sportswear fabrics.

Mechanical Inspiration: Blythe Brunt: The Mechanic’s Day off
Inspired by classic cars, Blythe Brunt’s womenswear draws from the endless moving parts and abstract shapes of a mechanic’s workshop. Her fun, surreal world features striking prints from vintage promotional booklets and real car parts, creating unique and inventive pieces.

Paolo Iacobucci: Ode to Italy
Paolo Iacobucci takes a humorous look at Italian stereotypes with his menswear collection. Eclectic inspirations, from pasta to Mafioso culture, result in bright, cheeky statements. Key pieces include a ‘spaghetti’ jacket and an ‘Italian Stallion’ shirt, celebrating Italian culture with a playful twist.

Reece Sheikh: Armoured Damsel
From the concept of the ‘Damsel in Distress,’ Reece Sheikh creates romantic womenswear that empowers. Referencing Romantic era paintings and John Keats’ poem “La Belle Dame sans Merci,” his collection features layered textures and hand-crafted details that evoke a dark, dream-filled past.

Mila Nikcevic: Belgrade Boys
Mila Nikcevic’s menswear draws from early 90s Yugoslavian style, mixing sportswear influences with memories of her father’s family. Her collection features pixelated imagery and eclectic references, resulting in colourful, fresh, and individual pieces.

Stavri Grigori: Past and Present
Stavri Grigori combines Greek tradition with modern lingerie and corsetry details in her inventive womenswear. Using materials like goat-hair and Moiré satin, she creates striking, memorable looks inspired by historic carnival references.

Soraya Behzadi: Bicycle Thieves
Inspired by 50s Italian cinema, particularly “Ladri di Bicilette,” Soraya Behzadi’s menswear collection pays homage to luxury with dynamic draping and precise attention to detail. Her sophisticated pieces blend sharp tailoring with modern layering, creating an elegant debut.

Konthorn Wutthiwongangkhana: Memories of Place
Konthorn Wutthiwongangkhana’s collection reflects his passion for creative pattern cutting, tailoring, and leather work. Influences from Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama and personal memories result in adaptable, functional pieces with impeccable finish and proportion.

Milla Hanney: The Lost Toys
Milla Hanney’s dramatic womenswear is inspired by childhood toys and the comfort of home. Her rich, textural surfaces and playful accessories, including hand-printed teddy bears and vibrant metallics, create nostalgic and surreal silhouettes.

Tom Rowe: Beside the Seaside
Inspired by 70s family holidays on the Isle of Wight, Tom Rowe’s collection draws from piers, fairground architecture, and beach huts. His imaginative pieces reflect the British seaside experience with twisted designs and unique smocks incorporating backpack details.

Tak Fung: Night Shift
Tak Fung’s menswear collection pays homage to his Hong Kong roots and his father’s job as a bus driver. Combining traditional silhouettes with inventive detailing and high standards of finish, his pieces include red light sequins and bus seat covers, creating a multi-layered, impressive debut.

Jamina Ziebart: Feeling and Flow
Jamina Ziebart’s elegant collection is inspired by pioneering women of the early 20th century. Using viscose crepe and drawing colour inspiration from artist Sophie Henriette Gertud Tauber-Arp, her draped pieces balance weight and volume, reflecting her singular, instinctive style.

Jessica Storey: I Only Mark the Hours That Shine
Inspired by the life of ‘Little Edie’ from Grey Gardens, Jessica Storey’s collection explores decay and reuse. Using both modern and hand-craft techniques, she creates an exciting interplay between past and present, with striking pieces that reanimate a grand life fallen on hard times.

Theo Ike: Open World Sewing
Theo Ike’s unique approach to fashion is inspired by the natural world and future climate scenarios. His speculative designs merge style with science, creating clothes that commemorate life events and tell hidden stories.

Polly Chen: The Lover’s Eye
Inspired by 1920s radical change and forbidden love, Polly Chen creates expressive silhouettes that conceal the body. Her unique hand-painted and printed fabrics result in dramatic looks influenced by eclectic references, including Lover’s Eye emblems and the work of painter Fatima Ronquillo.

Each designer left their mark on the runway, not only redefining the boundaries of their craft but also solidifying Westminster’s reputation as a breeding ground for the industry’s future designers.

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Written by Angel Joanne Okonkwo