LDN

I attended the Rebel exhibition at The Design Museum, which was celebrating the designers that have received the NEWGEN grant from the British Fashion Council over the past 30 years. 

I loved seeing how people continue to use their own experience to communicate through fashion. Sustainability, addressing waste and overconsumption felt like common themes within the show, it resonated with my project focus and development.

“Today’s designers blend film, performance, education, social and environmental and ethical responsibility as never before. They prioritise representation and identity politics oppose gender stereotypes and uplift and empower their communities”

There were some really beautiful garments. Here are my highlights. 

Matty Bovan 

Described as “wonkily elegant”, I love the layering, textures, shape, volume, vibrancy and randomness of Bovan’s work. 

“A lot of my work is from experiments and things that have gone wrong. It’s all about giving into the process, being in the moment and seeing what happens.”

Marta Jakubowski

This display stopped me in my tracks, the garments were beautifully draped and simple yet being on the pedestals gave them a haunting presence. Reading Jakubowski’s synopsis explaining her expression of grief made me even more drawn to it. 

Phoebe English 

“We are the problem, and we are the solution. Designers are solution-makers. We can do this together.”

I really enjoyed the detailing on the sleeves and the use of pleats and straps within this garment.

Faustine Steinmetz

Steinmetz took denim waste and reduced it back to fibres, then created new yarns to weave into new garments. It was great to see the process captured and broken down into phases as well as the different weights and textures of the yarns Steinmetz had created. 

“When did it become the norm to own five of everything, and throw them away? When did we stop seeing clothes as precious objects?”

I then visited Saville Row, Conduit Street and New Bond Street to look at how brands portray their identity within a visual merchandising space. The key brands I looked at included : 

• Yohji Yammamoto’s Conduit Street / Savile Row store
• Vivienne Westwood’s two boutiques on Conduit Street 
• Issey Miyake’s Brook Street store
• Dover Street Market is a Comme Des Garcons concept store

Whilst on this walkabout, I stumbled across the Charity Supermarket (@charitysuper.mkt) on New Bond Street. They describe themselves as a “multi-charity shop”, it’s a popup for charities to collaborate in an empty space in high rent areas, selling all their high end designer brands. It was a stark contrast to the beautiful curated designer spaces that I had visited but it felt a lot more aligned with what I am trying to achieve. It was also the only store other than Vivienne Westwood that had customers in on a buzzing Saturday afternoon. Maybe that’s a reflection on the economic situation in the UK at the moment or perhaps those stores are busier during the week with the business people that work in that area of town, which potentially draws in more tourists on a weekend. 

I started following the Charity Supermarket (@charitysuper.mkt) on Instagram. They have collaborated with @twenty_outfits offering a workshop to any visitors that want to bring in their own items of clothing and get creative by zhuzhing up their garments with new details. 

What I love since starting this course, is I feel like I’m tapping into this preloved culture that already exists, it’s like I’ve scratched the surface and now I’m seeing it everywhere. I want to use my brand to find my voice, to utilise the resources I have to hand, look at what I’ve got and work backwards.

References 

REBEL: 30 Years of London Fashion. 16 September 2023 – 11 February 2024. The DESIGN MUSEUM, London.