Everything you want is on the other side of fear.
If you are an avid follower of my instagram page you will notice that I posted a photo I created with the above quote. Reason being sometimes the fear of rejection cripples me to the my very core. To a point, I just choose not to do things that I love because of it.
Last year, to afraid to use my blog, I decided to apply for press accreditation for London Fashion Week (LFW) using my job title as the deputy editor for the publishing company for. The reason, I did this was because I felt that my blog wasn’t big enough to be accreditated. Do you know what happened? My application was rejected.
So, this year after days of contemplating and self doubt I decided oh well, I’ve got nothing to loose. I went ahead attached links to my blog and guess what, to my surprise, it was accepted. My visa application too, was accepted and issued in less than 24hrs. This however is a story for another day.
So on the 14th of September, I set off to London. I got invited to a total of 21 shows. I will dedicate each post to the number of shows I attended in a day.
The first show, set up as a presentation, of the day was by Irene SJ Yu.
Irene is one of London’s young and upcoming designers. She derives her inspiration from various aspects of art, music, religion, society and cultural environment.
For Spring/Summer 2018, her focus was on an imaginative woman who is cool but sweet and enjoys wearing all things pink and animal print. In her words, she tried to fuse office wear with fun holiday silhouettes by mixing the fabrics and shapes that represent these different occasions.
This is quite visible in the collection. The cut outs, the ruffles, the threaded corsets, cold shoulder cuts, oversized sleeves and the fluffy sandals to complete the looks were oh so present. As a result, the transformation of what would be a boring corporate suit into a fun, cute outfit.
The next show I attended was by Roberta Einer:
Roberta is an Estonian born London based fashion designer. She created her very first collection at the age of 12 and can be found on Forbes list of young upcoming designers to watch. She draws her inspiration from people (mainly artists and graphic designers), as well as from places she visits.
Her SSI8 collection is a mixed inspiration from the Californian 70s and 80s skate culture and drawings of Jean-Michel Basquiat and Raymond Pettibon. Think comics, brush stokes, graffiti, the sun, the beach, summer breeze, waves, girls lounging nearby watching skater-boys in baggy shorts, bomber jackets and long socks. Now, to that, add Robert’s signature sequins, handmade embroidery, beads, tulle, patches of cotton and silk.
Behold in Roberta’s words “Couture for 20-year-olds.”
Photos by Yimbiha’s iP7 😉
In between the shows I visited the designer showrooms. Here you could see and purchase both ready-to-wear and accessories from a diverse selection of over 150 designs. It also provided a space where you could meet and interact with designers.
This concludes my day one at LFW. Stay tuned for day two to five.
Have yourself a wonderful Friday XOXO
