This season Oxford Fashion Studio presented the collections of 55 independent designers across the three cities during the September Fashion season. Ranging from couture to street style and jewellery, Oxford Fashion Studio featured both debut collections and established brands, from all over the globe.
“At Oxford Fashion Studio we disrupt through raw authentic independent design,” Tiffany Saunders, Oxford Fashion Studio‘s Runway Director admits. “Eitan Broude brought couture and streetwear, minimalism and natural forms. Haan Haan challenged your view of sustainable textiles. Margaret Garrison loves to get tedious with the details and it shows. Nykwale brought Afrocentric and high fashion aesthetics. Pera May brought vibrancy to the Royal Opera House. Leonie Mergen delivered yet again a fresh collection for the fifth time creating looks that are instant classics. We loved Pavlina’s first collection but this follow-up is outstanding. We launched Voussoir, breaking ground a new made-to-order concept. Gessica Collective demonstrated the relationship between design and social movements. Aspect Doré chose Paris to show what cannot be shown back home in Saudi Arabia. Körsbär introduced a neo-bohemian as a relief from the expectations of Paris fashion. That is just a taste of the 53 collections we launched across New York, London and Paris this season.
Commencing the season in New York at Pier 59 studios on September 7, Margaret Garrison presented a sportswear dream, exaggerating the proportions of the zips to communicate her collection’s concept “Half Time.” Hailing from New Zealand, Lontessa showed her collection with the aim to support her country’s flora and fauna. Beneath The Bark showcased an array of wooden jewellery and accessories. Dignified Women’s Apparel’s SS20 collection used silks and flowing materials combined with meticulous attention to tailoring and silhouette, where the fluidity of movement matched the sleekness of the materials. Haley Manochi and Cassia Yuan used similar materials in their collections — Manochi combining it with leather corsets, which manipulated the fabric’s movement in a unique way, and Yuan contrasting this combination with more opposing textures, which ultimately heightened the impact of both.
Oxford Fashion Studio‘s London shows were lucky enough to take place in a very unique and exquisite venue that is such a intrinsic piece to the culture of the city: The Royal Opera House. The venue hosted the launch of Voussoir, a new fashion house for timeless made-to-order pieces by independent designers. The collective currently consists of five designers: Vingt Quatre, K-Ourage, Vanessa Gounden, Harriet Eccleston and Leonie Mergen — all priding collections that break through the seasonality of the standard fashion calendar and supporting sustainability and longevity in fashion. It also saw the debut of Pointzerone — showing 18 looks exploring the use of clear PVC contrasted with natural materials in muted pastel tones. Sun In Leo The Label added gothic tones, while Pera May added a quirky splash of colour and the Amaranthine girls strode in military-esque apparel.
Paris — the finale of the fashion season — was hosted at Intercontinental Le Grand on September 28, setting the stage for a magnificent outro. Known as the city of couture, the stage saw many suited dresses from designers including Hong Hoa Couture, Avelina de Maier and Allison Nicole. On the other side of the spectrum, Gessica Collective’s aesthetic aligned with that of high-end streetwear, and Mahnaz Primoradi’s collection was more futuristic in their design approach.
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