Aaaaand, we’re off! New year, new us, but the same old London Fashion Week Men’s. Well, you’d think so, at least. But no, AW19 seems to be a season of totally new beginnings as the show hub moves East to the Truman Brewery space in Shoreditch. And after the first LFWM show courtesy of Art School, it’s clear that this move is not just geographical. With their first standalone show exactly 2 years after their debut with the Fashion East platform, Eden Loweth and Tom Barratt are opening the new season. And they do that with a bang. At 9am.
The show notes might have cited the opera as their models’ final destination, yet it definitely felt like they got up to some wilder things after seeing La Traviata. As they walked down the foggy catwalk, it became clear that these people continued the fun times long into the night and perhaps didn’t get to bed at all. Their velvet gowns slashed, sparkly paillettes and feathered heels (created in collaboration with Gina Shoes) worn with jersey hoodies and tees, making the walk of shame slightly more bearable and enviously chic. But as Loweth stated backstage after the show, this wasn’t just about the clothes or the show itself – “Art School is about representing a community that hasn’t always been represented.” Non-binary, trans or cis-gender – the clothes’ wearer is invited into this world no matter their identity. Just like it does in real life, it also does at LFWM – Art School represents a safe space for every one of its students. And if you haven’t applied yet, make sure to do so now.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
