London Fashion Week Rundown

Behind the scenes at London Fashion Week, Ones to watch

By Charlene Bent

When it comes to fashion week, only the hottest trends apply. The Salvation Army Trading Company were on the front row and rubbing shoulders with the fash pack donning some pretty epic street style looks this season. It’s a carnival of textiles, with the shows spanning across New York, London, Milan and Paris as each capital gets set to put on a production that will gain the applause of press and buyers alike.

This season we witnessed the much needed fashion fix that the industry has been missing and a welcomed influx of those major fashion moments that were lacking while we were all isolating at home in loungewear for the last two years.

Supporting the circular economy and reusing to repurpose is at the core of what we do to have a greener impact on our planet. Witnessing the evolution of the fashion cycle gave us an insight into the beginnings of our incredible textile donations. And as fashion tells so many stories, our efforts are firmly secured in the chapter that supports this thriving business with our recycling efforts.

Designers from the Ones To Watch collections showcased their range with a plethora of digital prints, inspired by a rebirth and futuristic approach in the search for perfection and the new age of style. And with this being the first time we attended the show season, we felt immersed in the fashionable displays and the trends for the season ahead.

Arina Orlova, influencer and fashion stylist for Grazia and L’Official magazine

Whilst on the front row we connected with some of the industries leaders to get their thoughts on our key mission to support a circular economy and how they see the future of fashion evolving. Arina Orlova, influencer and fashion stylist for Grazia and L’Official magazine shared: “Fashion brands can implement digital fashion to their collections. A lot of people use fashion items for Instagram and buy pieces for photo opportunities but by implementing more digital fashion, there is no waste.”

Lan Nguyen-Grealis - Head of Makeup at London Fashion Week

We also headed backstage to interview multi-award winning and top selling beauty author Lan Nguyen-Grealis who is also Head of Makeup at London Fashion Week to get her thoughts on how makeup can have a more sustainable impact. “I encourage clients to buy what they need instead of unnecessary purchases. Also invest in seeing professionals. Recycle more by learning how to apply and get maximum use out of your product and get the most out of what you have to avoid waste. Consider recyclable textiles instead of cotton pads and opt for products that are more sustainable. These little steps have a bigger impact than we think.”

Lan’s makeup inspiration for the Ones To Watch show included accents that nodded to the search for perfection, pixel inspired add on’s such as, a white strips to suggest a digital code and she played with surfaces and textures to nod to machinery and the rebirth of style.

So what were the key take-away trends to note from the shows?

Boxy-shouldered blazers, neon oranges and greens - were all the rage. While trench coats with a twist and super skinny sunglasses were on show. Long, duster-length silhouettes proved super popular, with cosy, fuzzy fabrics and faux furs taking centre stage.

We’re proud to be part of the process that supports the business to reuse fashionable collections and keep these must-haves’ available for repurpose.

See our front row style edit in the gallery below.