With London Fashion Week coming to a close on the 20th of February, London Fashion Week Festival, an event open to the general public, began on Thursday the 22nd of February. A time of fashion, new styles, creativity and self-expression, it was not only the models on the catwalks showing off new trends but many of the people attending were demonstrating their individual originality in a variety of different and wonderful outfits. From large fur coats, to suits, to mustard yellow sweaters, it was a vibrant and different world.

            I attended London Fashion Week festival on Saturday the 24th of February and saw two of the catwalk shows. The first was a Designer Show featuring new styles from NICOPANDA, and innovative and unique brand. It is the personal brand of Nicola Formichetti, a designer well known for his edgy and inspirational fashion collaborations. Lots of celebrities can be seen sporting articles from this New York based street- brand, the catwalk show really showed off some of the exciting and upcoming styles, including red beret hats styled with large safety pins and casual sport styled outfits.

            The second catwalk was a Trend Show, featuring multiple designers and showing off three different styles; Vintage Vacation, New Wave and Cyber Sports with a finale showing off all the styles at once. Vintage Vacation showed off some intriguing summer holiday styled outfits, included tropical prints, large sunglasses and interesting colour combinations. New Wave presented a red, black and white motif. Filled with sharp angles, and clean cut styles. Finally, Cyber Sports was all about metallics, oversized clothing, and a combination of neon and pastel colours. It showed off a fascinating mixture of stylish and sporty wear.

            Meanwhile, outside the catwalks, visitors could attend talks and panels, presented by experts in the fashion, hair and makeup industry. There were also stalls showing off various popular designer’s new collections, available for people to purchase, featuring many styles similar to those seen on the catwalks. Visitors commented that it was, “an amazing assembly of outfits,” and that it was, “inspirational to see so many people celebrating creativity and innovation.”

Darya Vandromme Notre Dame School