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| Photography by Lucas Seidenfaden |
Merit Award winner Leutton Postle attracted the attention than none other than Louise Wilson, director of MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins.
The Vauxhall Fashion Scout's Merit Award is
a world renowned showcase for London’s most innovative new designers. This year the venue filled with onlookers
eager to lay eyes on winning duo Leutton Postle’s catwalk debut. The front row
attracted the attention of none other than Louise Wilson, director of MA Fashion
at Central Saint Martins. The room was alive with excitement. It was 7pm, every
seat in the house was filled, photographers found every inch of space to place
their tripods, and then the moment came. This long awaited show had begun.
Models steadily emerged from behind the scenes, their long
hair down, slicked back and nude make up other than the multicolored patchwork
of lipstick covering their mouths. As each one paced before us, we were able to
fully absorb the reason they were such deserved winners. The knitwear
collection was a multicolored offering of sensational blanket like pieces.
There was a gentle heritage feel from the patchwork garments that interacted
with the traditional qualities of knit. A pastel color palette was interjected
with the occasional scrap of green or orange. Whether head to toe or just a
patch here and there, jumbo fringing was one consistent theme that manifested
itself in various distinctive ways. With a selection of knit techniques on
offer whey were able to create a distressed and rustic quality. Garments hug
loosely from the shoulders, with breaks in the knit to glimpse hints of the
flesh beneath, contrasting thick pieces to he fragility of skin. Tunics, one
legged trousers, and full jumpers all features but the final dress was a
perfect example of the design pairs skill and talent. Full length and
unrestricting multicoloured fringing hung from a muticoloured grid that
embalmed a thin mesh like knit. As the model made her final walk, this dress
showed fluidity of movement and a softness amidst this strong collection.
Youthful, exuberant, and playful, this bright collection earned its crowd.
When the show was over it was clear to see the
emotion in the designers as they quickly snuck out front to see loved ones and
friends. Despite tears of relief and overwhelming emotion the pair did give me
a few words. “We feel great, good, very emotional,” Jenny said. After
discussing their influences of crazy paving and IKEA cookbooks, taking a lot of
visual imagery and translating it into fabrics, Sam gave us a little hint to
what’s next for them, “we are going to sleep, sleep, oh, and party.”
Text: Samantha Farr