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At CSM MA Show, the Spirit of Margiela

Menswear designers featured prominently — and snapped up the evening's L’Oreal awards — as sixteen of Central Saint Martins' top graduates presented their work.
Central Saint Martin's Autumn/Winter 2016 | Source: Courtesy
By
  • Dan Thawley

LONDON, United Kingdom — The MA programme at Central Saint Martin's in London is arguably fashion's most prestigious Petri dish, which under its late, former director Louise Wilson produced talents as diverse as Kim Jones, Lee McQueen and Christopher Kane. It has been nearly two years since Wilson's death, meaning the school's current graduating class has spent the entirety of its time at Central Saint Martins under the tutelage of Fabio Piras, who replaced Wilson.

Sixteen of Piras' top graduates-to-be each presented a handful of silhouettes at this evening's show, staged in the official London Fashion Week space in Soho, a move designed to help bridge the gap between the working designers of today and those of tomorrow. But regardless of the shared show location, there is still a sizable divide between these two realities, not least when it comes to the blend of creativity and commerciality in their collections. In the audience sat headhunters from the world's best talent agencies, poised to snap up young designers for behind-the-scenes roles at houses in all the top fashion capitals, banking on the individual (yet moldable) perspectives of each student.

Here those perspectives were expressed across menswear, womenswear, knitwear and textile design with collections, which mined a litany of fashion eras and references from Paul Poiret to Rei Kawakubo, and the real elephant in the room: Martin Margiela. The Belgian designer's influence could be seen embedded in work from a handful of students, from Harry Pontefract's shivering hosiery jackets, knotted knickers and taped bustiers to the austere grey knit column skirts and cardigans by Amelie Beluze. Margiela also felt crucial to Richard Quinn's theatrical wares, which made dramatic use of head-to-toe floral prints, velvet body stockings and black PVC over tulle that channeled Leigh Bowery's costume delights as much as both Mathieu Blazy and John Galliano's Artisanal creations at the house.

Referencing aside, these collections felt both conceptually focused and meticulously crafted, as did a slew of others whose ideas ranged from deconstructed tailoring (Ajmal Khan's grandiose felt overcoats peeled off in elegant, structured layers) to tattered, multicoloured textiles (like Henriette Tilanus' gilded, papery fabrics puffed into couture shapes).

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Menswear collections featured prominently, with both of the L'Oreal awards announced on the night going to designers with a historical, hand-touched sensibility for a masculine wardrobe. The first was Harry Evans, whose bouclé cardigans, ruched dresses and tweedy, embellished suits also scooped Chloé's prize. John Alexander Skelton shared the prize for his nostalgic, long-line tailoring crafted from pale treated linens and waxy black leather (Stephen Jones crafted him a trio of newsboy caps, to top them off).

Also worth a mention were Kiko Kostantinov's collaged utility separates that melded outerwear detailing into polo tops and bowling shirts for a witty take on blue-collar uniforms, and Abzal Issabekov's fetishized check suits paired with a peak shoulder and latex underpinnings.

In womenswear, the diverse offering ping-ponged between vibrant maximalist decoration and quieter studies of layering and flou. Siiri Raasakka's knotted, ruched tunics and layered skirts certainly held their own simple, stoic and sculptural point of view. To the class of 2016: we wish you well.

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