Madonna and FKA Twigs were the main guests at Central Saint Martins’ opulent 116-designer graduate show.
What do Central Saint Martins and Madonna have in common? Well, surprisingly more than you’d think. As the end of year approaches for undergraduates in fashion design, the CSM shows are always spectacles to observe, as one of the greatest fashion minds of the modern world have gotten their feet and launched their careers from the halls of Granary Square.
Madonna and FKA Twigs were special spectators at the 116-designer graduate show, showcasing the work of the youngest and freshest talents in London’s fashion scene. The collections explored each designer’s quest for finding themselves in their craft, with overall themes of strong identity and creating a unique mystical world where the garments are an extension of your self-reflection. The overarching themes seen across the show were a play upon object proportions, pieces protruding outwards creating shapes that mirror architecture and interior design, whilst juxtaposing with intricate cut-outs, celebrating the body. A plethora of different materials, from mango wood-carved bags, through chainmail dresses, decorated with acrylic nails all across and sheets of acrylic plexiglass, moulded to mirror the soft curves of the body.
As a main supporter of the event, L’Oreal Professional awards a winner and two runner-ups for their creativity and design skills, and this year the third prize was awarded to Diana Sträng, Fashion Design and Marketing major for her masterful collation of materials and the technique of gathering, utilising off-cuts. The second award given went to Emil Dernbach, whose metal and wool sculptural designs in Yves Klein blue and silver opened the show, expressing a notion between the morphosis of reality with the digital age.
The biggest prize went to knitwear designer Alice Morell Evans, who showcased a masterfully detailed knit designs that were fueled with rich cultural references, alongside playing upon protruding proportions and toiles that surround the body.
