Pioneering non-profit initiative Fashion East was established by Lulu Kennedy and the Old Truman Brewery in 2000. With Kennedy very much still at the helm, the scheme champions emerging designers, showcasing their work at London Fashion Week each season. Designers are selected by Fashion East’s panel of eminent industry figures who offer guidance and mentoring support. As part of the scheme, designers receive a bursary, a fully produced runway show and are taken to Paris to hold sales appointments with international stores. Fashion East has an unrivalled reputation for identifying and supporting the most exciting new names in the industry and has kick started the careers of many of the UK’s most prolific design talent including Jonathan Saunders, Craig Green, Grace Wales Bonner, Roksanda Ilincic and Simone Rocha. This season, along with Matty Bovan and Mimi Wade, newcomers Supriya Lele and ASAI joined the roster.

Supriya Lele

Newcomer Supriya Lele founded her eponymous brand after graduating in Fashion Womenswear MA from the Royal College of Art in 2016. Prior to this she completed her BA at Edinburgh College of Art. Lele’s graduate collection explored the duality between her Indian and British cultural identity. Her work explores the female body, reworking traditional Indian textile techniques and embellishment through a contemporary lens, concentrating on the interplay between high and low fabrications.

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For her first season with Fashion East, the designer continued the exploration of her heritage, presenting a collection of pink faux furs, red PVC skirts and black silk suits paired with transparent plastic heels. Set design duo Studio Maud provided the elegant backdrop for the display, with flowers and an eclectic selection of thoughtfully positioned objects.

 

ASAI

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British-Asian designer, A Sai Ta’s BA collection at Central Saint Martins took second place in the L’Oreal Professionnel Talent Award in 2014. With a scholarship from Theory in hand, Ta entered the school’s renowned MA programme to continue exploring his aesthetic. He then left to accept a position at Kanye West’s Yeezy before returning to London to embark on his own label. ASAI’s creative process draws on his search for authenticity and the creativity that comes from anti-perfectionism, adaptability, and reaction.

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Presenting an assortment of textured white pieces alongside a number of boldly multi-coloured ensembles, the Asai AW17 line-up saw shirt silhouettes redesigned, knitwear chopped up and reaffixed together with delicate translucent fabrics. There were subtle references to girls of the early 00’s in the form of a bohemian disc belt and knit dresses, as well as Mutya Buena on the soundtrack.

 

Feature Image: Supriya Lele AW17 (Photo: Tom Jamieson)