Speaking With Fashion’s Next Generation, In The Making

Without a doubt, we are living in an incomparably exciting moment in fashion. New creative directors are being anointed at an unprecedented rate, with almost every major house ushering in new codes, new visions, and with them, a new era. I feel the industry is suspended on the brink of transformation, ready to reinvent itself.

Yet for all the spectacle this moment offers, the work I often find most compelling does not always come from the most illustrious maisons, but rather the work of students. Driven by pure inquisitiveness instead of legacy, their work is what truly draws my attention and what, to me, feels most alive. In their freedom, they even sometimes surpass the industry’s most revered names (which I’ll, ahem, keep to myself).

History repeats itself. Look at Galliano, McCartney and McQueen, legends whose ascent has been documented since their early days at Central Saint Martins. More recently, Grace Wales Bonner - who graduated just over a decade ago - was appointed creative director of Hermès menswear, a timely reminder of how soon emerging talent can shift the landscape.

This past September, I had the pleasure of encountering this future firsthand. For the first time ever, B.A. Fashion Design students from Birmingham City University showcased their creations at London Fashion Week, dismantling the notion that such creative brilliance is confined to the capital. I was grateful to be in attendance amongst editors and influencers alike, as well as such incredible talent.

Five students caught my eye from this cohort - not only for the strength of their work, but the conception of their visions - and it was a privilege to speak with them at the very start of what promises to be remarkable careers.

MEGAN GINN (@meganginndesign)

Ginn’s collection fused heritage and innovation, drawing on her Irish roots to reinterpret traditional Aran knitwear. She had developed an algae-based biomaterial which she used to bond woollen strands to a base fabric, creating garments that were sustainable and materially experimental.

“The Aran jumpers gave me the inspiration to use wool from damaged jumpers and give it a new lease of life!” she explained to me. “I wanted to find a new way to use scraps and create interesting surface patterns whilst keeping my work zero-waste and after sampling different bio-materials with scrap fabrics, I landed on this particular technique for my collection because of my Irish heritage and that being linked to Aran knitwear.”

A key strength of Ginn’s work was its adaptability. When heated, the bonding agent becomes malleable, allowing new surface patterns to be created and easy repairs after being worn. The capacity for evolution makes her pieces deeply personal, encouraging longevity and customisation to what you, the wearer, feel like.

Seeing these pieces up close, the complex knitting synonymous with Aran tradition was undeniably there, just reimagined and just as culturally rich. Aran knitwear was traditionally worn by fishermen, so I found Ginn's marriage of its origin and a gift from the sea was wonderfully apt. But let's also think of the applications outside our fashion sphere for a moment: garment construction, repairs, even packaging? Ginn’s biomaterial gives hope to a future of waste-free, renewable design, aligned with the consciously sustainable ambitions championed by the likes of Stella McCartney, which I can only dream of seeing more of.

JASMINE JOLLEY (@jasminejolleyfashion)

Everyone has something that provides them with that sense of comfort. It could be a memory, a smell, or a texture that evokes a special tinge of nostalgia. What drew me to Jolley’s collection was its heart, inspired by her grandmother’s sofa. Jolley translated this poignant motif into a refined, sustainable vision: “My concept draws inspiration from my Nana’s sofa and the idea of family ties and comfort.”

This emotional anchor evolved into a collection crafted entirely from dead-stock fabrics, breathing new life into the material. She prioritised, as any designer should, a high-quality design so her pieces may withstand the test of time, mirroring the “durability of the sofa that had stood through generations in Nana's living room.”

The muted colour palette clears the way for proper fabrication, showing itself off through tailored cuts, drapery, and subtle patterns inspired by the sofa’s construction. “I looked at the shapes, textures and construction of the sofa implementing these features subtly into my designs using creative pattern cutting techniques,” she told me.

“I have learned so much since creating my collection, mostly that I’m determined to achieve my vision as intended,” Jolley noted, highlighting how this experience had allowed her to push herself to become a better designer. While I’ll happily give Jolley more than enough kudos for creating such an introspective collection, it truly stands as a tribute to “the strong women that shaped [her] upbringing,” and rightfully so.

SEÁN PAJARILLO (@design.by.seanprjlo)

Now onto something a bit different. If you’re on the hunt for a great, all-round shoulder bag, like I am, Seán Pajarillo’s designs could be dangerously tempting. Despite us both joking that his bags resembled those of a croissant at first glance, his ingenuity became clear when he explained the concept behind the design.

Pajarillo drew inspiration from chronophotography, the art of capturing movement through multiple photographic frames, famously practised by greats such as Jean-Yves Lemoigne, and had reconceptualised the fluid, sequential lines of motion into soft curves of the bags.

Simultaneously, another homage was to ‘Tsunobukoru’, a Japanese design principle where the swing of the bag is reactive to the bodily motion of the wearer. Shaped like a horn, Pajarillo’s bags were inventive feats of wearable design - functional, sculptured, and oh so stylish.

EMILY BROOKES (@houseofbrookesy)

Brookes’ collection was simply impossible to miss. Bold, explosive, and patterned, she presented a vision of menswear unlike anything I have seen since. “My vision of menswear is influenced by a few things. My one personal style comes into it as I love vibrant colours and clashing patterns, so I wanted to make sure my designs spoke true to how I like to dress,” Brookes revealed. Her work is a case study of how limitations can often produce an artist’s best work, working exclusively with dead-stock materials and allowing her choices to organically guide her design process.

Traditional menswear codes of checks, stripes and familiar tailoring silhouettes were reimagined with a feminine and dramatic flair. A grey pinstripe double-breasted suit, for instance, had electric lime filipiniana-cut fabric sprouting from the sleeves and trouser side seams. Talking about her choice, Brookes said, “a traditional filipiniana sleeve usually has gathers on the inside to create the structured shape, but I chose to remove these in my design as gathers are less commonly found in menswear.”

Elsewhere, Brookes blurred gender-oriented design features with a sheer, check-and-floral ensemble reminiscent of a tracksuit. The influence of designers such as Simone Rocha - one of Brookes’ professed heroes - is evident in her feminine yet strong silhouettes: “I wanted to challenge my ability to create structure through manipulating my fabrics.”

I’m a fan of how Brookes distorted form in ways that felt playful yet technically rigorous. The result was flamboyant menswear (which she hopes to bring back from the past), as well as being sustainable and personal - an amplification of Brookes’ own distinctive style executed with confidence and great craft.

ROHAN SCOTT (@roro.atelier)

A final recognition must go to Rohan Scott, whose fluidly structured leather piece was an immediate standout. Through a self-developed process of wet-moulding vegetal leather, Scott created ethereal silhouettes rarely achieved with the material - distorted, delicate, and yet mesmerisingly structured.

The organic fluidity of his forms, paired with raw materials, fed into Scott’s exploration of “the profound beauty of natural decay.” His portfolio considers how many things in life, once brimming with vitality, lose their static form over time, twisting and warping. Nonetheless, I was amazed by how this transformation was captured so elegantly in leather.

Today we see brands such as Loewe and Schiaparelli embrace unconventional natural materials more and more - from leather techniques such as Scott’s to Taylor Russell’s wooden Loewe corset at the 2024 Met Gala. Scott’s approach is strikingly relevant and encapsulates the spirit of his wider cohort, pointing towards an exciting future of designers unafraid to challenge material, shape or convention.