ALTERNATIVE FASHION WEEK DAY 5

Almost as soon as it had begun, the final bustling hour and a half of Alternative Fashion Week loomed across the thronged paving of Spitalfields Market. Centred around the blanched catwalk, the crowd gathered. Alternative Fashion Week being open to the public, an excited hush descended over the eclectic mixture of the fashion pack, and excited passers by, punctuated by the occasional clink of a coffee cup or crying baby. That’s the interesting thing about this fashion week, the young sibling of London’s fully fledged Fashion Week. It feels almost like a natural extension of its surroundings, part of the day-to-day hustle of London life. 

True to the saying, day 5 saved some of the best for last, Kim Seoghee leading the pack with an avant-garde mixed men’s and womenswear collection comprising of exclusively black pieces. This years must, the jumpsuit was paraded down the double-ended catwalk, with a healthy dose of the harem crotch being applied to a selection of leggings and trousers. 

 

Another of the day’s successes was Laura Fox’s collection of womenswear inspired by the ideal of British Heritage. Her collection came down the catwalk in a melee of wax and tweed brought to life in the modern day through the use of elegant shapes.

 

Wilfried Pletzinger was one of the stand out designers of the day, presenting his audacious collection of recycled sportswear. Although not necessarily wearable – a full length skirt made from jogging bottoms provides more than a little difficulty when it comes to actually walking – the designs were certainly an eye-catching tribute to what one can do with a little imagination and a collection of brash 90s gym attire.

  

And in the flash of a bulb it was over. The crowd parted for the last time, into the wind whipped chill of a surprisingly sunny East End. Alternative Fashion Week takes place each spring, so if you missed it, don’t panic, for there is always next year. With no admission charge and a stomping ground in one of the coolest quarters of London, there’s no excuse for missing this, and you never know, you might just spot one of fashion’s rising stars. 

Ben Schofield