London Fashion Week Day 1 Recap: Ryan Lo, Felder Felder, and More!

With NYFW now safely over, London Fashion Week boldly kicked off this Friday with 7 presentations by 7 distinct fashion designers from around the world – from Japanese-owned Daks serving all-black British tailoring to emerging Hong Kong designer Ryan Lo kitting women in bubblegum pink fancy. We’ve got the lowdown on all the happenings from Day 1 and more!

Chinatown Inspiration at Ryan Lo

London has the strong reputation for fostering a highly experimental design culture, most often tapped into by its growing new designers hailing from prestigious fashion institutions such as Central Saint Martins and Royal College of Art. Ryan Lo is a new member of this experimenting set and presented a pastel dominant love ode to his hometown of Hong Kong for LFW.

No Cigar for Daks

On the other end of the spectrum, Japanese-owned Daks has survived for over 100 years. The collection’s menswear and womenswear pieces embraced its heritage British tailoring and added a few twists, albeit unsuccessfully. Feather bits from long overcoats found their way all over the runway and hems fell out of place on menswear suiting. Despite some interesting outfits, there was little comfort in practicality for everyday wear.

Kilts at Le Kilt

Inspired by the kilt, but no longer channeling Britney Spears schoolgirl ambition? Scottish brand Le Kilt had all the tradition of the tartan cultural symbol, but with a steady balance of modernity and wearability as well. Super pleated, belted, and garnished with enormous safety pins, these skirts cut a striking silhouette and the belt-like collars added an edgy touch.

Felder Felder

A pleasing collection from Day 1 was Felder Felder, a London-based womenswear range from twins Daniela and Annette Felder. Full of amusement and whiffs of seduction, these pieces seemed ready for a place in Rihanna’s wardrobe. As committed vegans, sisters Felder incorporated many sustainable elements into their designs, including recycled plastic and CDs, but with how seamlessly the collection moved, the audience could barely tell.

And The Rest…

Matching and contrasting piping on virgin wool was all the focus at Edeline Lee. Abstract art and asymmetry found its place in sophisticated womenswear at Eudon Choi and Korean designer J. JS Lee played with pigmented separates for the professional in mind.