Fashion East FW23 Proves That the Industry's Future Is In Good Hands

Lulu Kennedy’s incubator Fashion East is a chance for newcomers to flex their fashion prowess, and today was the turn of Johanna Parv, Karoline Vitto, and Standing Ground.

The latter two took part in Fashion East’s Spring/Summer 2023 showcase last September, bringing inclusive garments and slithering gowns to the runway, respectively. As for Fall/Winter 2023, it was yet another round of each designer delivering what they do best.

For Michael Stewart’s Standing Ground, dresses of the designer’s typically slinky nature were available in abundance, but it was the welcomed shift into sculptural shapes that pleased the onlookers this season. Hips undulated and exaggerated their own proportions with Victorian-era padding, while tailored dress jackets warping around the neck appeared in shimmering silver and ice blue, adding cold, hard drama to the looks. Likewise, hot fuchsia wrapped around hands and draped on the rears of models, and double-breasted coats continued the late 1800s undertones.

Johanna Parv was a particular favorite this season, displaying gorpcore references in womenswear — a space the trend has yet to fully take a hold of. The emerging designer’s looks were convertible, pinning and unpinning from the waist as the models walked by. Drawcords, nylons, sheer mesh, and other technical details and fabrics added a utilitarian edge to feminine streetwear ensembles — a wrap skirt, cropped tank tops, and dresses cut from such materials really went to show Parv’s vision of decoding and recoding femininity.

Last was Karoline Vitto, who enlisted a diverse cast of models to wear her FW23 collection. Business chic met utilitarianism as little black dresses hugged the body but also revealed it, its sides split open and held together with metal rings that clinked against one another.

Tailoring was deconstructed and reconstructed in a similar fashion, served up in neon yellow and worn with a trusty pair of heels, while their closing look encompassed all of the collection’s details into one, combining a cropped tailored blazer with an asymmetrical skirt that captured the spirit of all three designers: pushing boundaries.

With Fashion East, the industry is in good hands for the years to come. Stay tuned to Hypebeast for more London Fashion Week FW23 content, and keep an eye out for these names in the seasons to come.

In other news, here is the best street style from New York Fashion Week.