Young designers in particular, who have made their names into labels, work a lot with references from their own lives. A central theme here is often one’s own identity and cultural affiliation. What emerges is a mix and match of stylistic influences anchored both in their own heritage and in the place they currently live. JW Anderson brought the feeling of merch culture into his collection with deliberately scattered logo references: Large (almost trashy) prints, XL details and references to his own earlier collections resulted in a playful image of everyday fashion and exaggerated design elements. The Mowalola collection, which made use of all sorts of well-known brandings and style references from the last few decades, was particularly popular. But by reassembling and adding clever slogans like “Sue me”, “Insert Disc here” or “United States of Amnesia” she manages to make the viewer think and evoke a feeling that can be described as being caught between nostalgia and progress leaves. Not to be forgotten is the label Chopowa Lowena, which as always mixes the Bulgarian aesthetic and craftsmanship with pop culture references and the wrestling cult of the 80s or the ski style of the 70s.

3. The body at the center

The body, the temple, the center of life played a key role in London. Because the designers knew (in a wide variety of ways) fabulously how to put him in the center and emphasize the natural silhouettes of the models with shaping, completing and emphasizing designs. Transparent fabric, cut-outs, ingeniously laid panels of fabric, but also layering bring the importance of femininity to the fore. At Dilara Findikoglu you could see deconstructed lingerie that gave a fresh look at lingerie with clever layering and material contrasts, and the Central Saint Martins graduates and the Fashion East talents also sat down with the body and the question of how one covers it (or rather stages it), apart. But the show that got the most buzz in terms of body inclusivity was Di Petsa’s. Almost like goddesses, models of different body shapes walked down the catwalk, their bodies artfully dressed. Inspired by Greek mythology, she created an empowering storytelling, especially in the styles for pregnant women: the idea of ​​clothing that is made for the body and in no way demands that it submit to it.

4. The new (dystopian) romantic wave