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.

Lily Allen | Blue May It wouldn't exactly be fantastic journalism if I turned around and started spouting about how music can address sore subjects, or how it can be used to portray deep, meaningful messages. Hell, it wouldn't even be the first time you've heard it from me. But never have I heard an album discuss infidelity so openly, address relationship turmoils so freely, and call out... unsatisfactory standards so directly. And it's Lily Allen, the voice of an entire generation, so what's not to like? Though none of this is surprising if we consider her past releases. She is perhaps one of the most iconic voices in UK music post-2000, and it's not like she's ever given a... do I say it? Surely the great Lily Allen would want me to. It's not like she's ever given a fuck about being polite. In a music scene full of artists switching and bending both genres and images (which in its own right is both fantastic and sometimes necessary), it's beyond refreshing to see an artist of such calibre stick as close to her original style as Allen has in West End Girl. There's little doubt this album will become a cultural staple in the future, with the detailing of her relationship's breakdown with David Harbour a relatable experience to so many of her listeners. The album starts with its namesake, "West End Girl", and details her move to New York with Harbour, starting what was supposed to be a happy new move for the couple. As the album continues, the narrative begins to morph, with songs such as "Tennis" highlighting the messages Allen found on Harbour's phone, and "4chan Stan" presenting as a particularly emotional and angry message regarding what she experienced at his hand. The album as a whole has a distinctly powerful narrative; a raw commentary of personal events, especially when considering Allen and Harbour only ended their relationship in February of this year. Overall, this album is perhaps one of the best to come out in 2025. Musically, it possesses the same elements that made us fall in love with Lily Allen in the first place. The iconic, unpolished London accent. The resilient, unwavering lack of care to appear polite. Contextually, the album discusses some incredibly important points in terms of what makes a relationship work and what makes one crumble. I couldn't recommend this album more if I tried, and I'd be incredibly surprised if you didn't agree.

By Tame Impala | Columbia Records Well, that's Halloween over for another year. The costumes are back in the box, the fake blood has been cleared up, and the hangovers have passed. But there's one distinct part of this year's scary season that won't leave our memory for a while. Tame Impala's newest album release, Deadbeat . The first album he's dropped in five years, Deadbeat, debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, gaining predominantly positive feedback from fans across the world. His noticeable shift to EDM and dance genres represents a bold move, and shows Kevin Parker (yes, Tame Impala is one man, has nobody ever told you?) isn't afraid of experimenting and keeping us guessing, and ultimately provided us with an album that would have been played at parties up and down all seven continents. Apart from Antarctica, I doubt penguins are aware of EDM. Listening to this album from start to finish, I couldn't help but notice that Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' resonated behind a large number of the songs. The entirety of 'Deadbeat' has an inherently... spooky feeling behind it, and I don't even have to mention the classic status that 'Dracula' will have come ten years. Although I will say this, if there's one song to listen to from the entire album, 'Dracula' is undoubtedly the one. Assuming the vast numbers of TikTok videos using it as their audio haven't hit your fyp. Perhaps the best thing about this album is the continuous switch-ups that occur within it. One moment you're listening to 'Obsolete', a familiar throwback to the more indie sounds that made us all fall in love with Kevin circa 2015, the next you're transported to a Berlin nightclub, entranced by the high-energy, rhythmic thumps of 'Ethereal Connection'. Mixing genres so ruthlessly within a single album is always a bold move, especially when moving away from the traditional sounds that fans know you for. But Tame Impala seems to have pulled this off seamlessly, creating yet another album destined for cult classic status. The album was written to highlight feelings of disconnectedness, being trapped in a cyclical nightmare of negativity, and overall to encapsulate the feeling of being deadbeat. It tackles difficult conversations so many of us have with ourselves daily, and highlights the difficulties of keeping up with such a fast-paced world filled with such a constant stream of negativity. In terms of opinions, 'Deadbeat' isn't my favourite work of Tame Impala. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it; however, I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys EDM, dance, or indie music. Will I be listening to it continuously? No. Will I take the message behind the album and implement it into daily life? Without a doubt.

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Learn about the dynamic duo behind it all and contact us. DYNAMIC DUO THE Here at Riffs&Runway , we understand that the worlds of sound and style are interwoven. We founded this platform to not only showcase our enthusiasm for their respective fields in a dedicated space but to also celebrate music and fashion as interconnected expressions of culture and identity. Both fabric and melodies echo stories with incredible history as both industries evoke fresh and compelling news that we hope to deliver to you. From the ground up, we aspire to collaborate with fresh and prolific industry names and cultivate a thriving community that celebrates cultural dialogue and ever-evolving times. At Riffs&Runway , tunes and looks take centre stage. FINLEY TAYLOR MUSIC EDITOR & ADMIN DIRECTOR Ever since I can remember, music has been a prevalent part of my identity. It’s introduced me to some of the most important people in my life, provided me with some of the most memorable experiences, and ultimately has made me realise my passion is showing others what I see and hear. Through the years, I’ve found myself listening to more and more artists, and a wider range of genres, before realising the sheer amount of musical talent in the world at present. Grouped with my lifelong passion for writing, here I find myself opening a creative space where others can experience what I experience, and be introduced to what I live for. HARRY NICHOLSON FASHION EDITOR & CREATIVE DIRECTOR We all have our own unique forms of expression, and I have discovered that mine is, without a doubt, how I dress. Now more than ever, I recognise that this communicates who I am, what I feel, and who I aspire to be. Fashion is not just about what you put on your back; it is a language, a form of storytelling that speaks volumes and rip ples throughout so many facets of culture. The realm of fashion has never been so compelling, and I simply cannot wait to share the latest news, incredible stories and my own critical thoughts through this very special outlet. Want to contact us? info@riffsandrunway.com