London fashion week gets off to bright start

London Fashion Week kicked off five days of catwalk shows on Friday with a splash of colour, as fears of Brexit — now looming large on the horizon — look set to dominate.

The fashion world descends on the British capital just weeks before Britain is due to leave the European Union, with anxiety over the diplomatic upheaval prompting some showcasers to strive for an upbeat tone.

Turkish designer Bora Aksu, who unveiled his latest collection on Friday, said he had deliberately deployed pastel shades and an “optimistic colour palette” to lighten the heavy mood currently pervading London.

“I try to bring some hope into the winter collection,” the London-based designer said, noting the long shadow cast by Brexit which he had tried to swamp with plenty of white, beige, lilac, mint green and peach pink on show.

“I think we need... more colours in life generally and more hope.”

The first two days of more than 80 catwalk shows will feature a raft of young talents including Matty Bovan, Ashley Williams, Molly Goddard, Simone Rocha and from the model, designer and TV presenter Alexa Chung.

Meanwhile four of Britain’s leading designers — Roksanda, JW Anderson, Christopher Kane and David Koma — are to reveal their new collections tomorrow.

Italian designer Riccardo Tisci, formerly of Givenchy, will also be showing off his second Burberry collection.

He took over from Christopher Bailey in March 2018 with the mission of giving the venerable company a new lease on life. — AFP