Fashion East fuk@lfw s/s 07

Now in its sixth year, Fashion East is dedicated to seeking out and supporting emerging British fashion talent. Each season, a panel of industry insiders select three young designers and provide them with the infrastructure to stage a show, access to a PR and an general leg-up in the notoriously difficult world of fashion. This year's event at Terence Conran's Shop at Bluebird on the King's Road could equally have been called the 'CSM Showcase', since each of the three promising young labels is the brainchild of recent Central Saint Martins graduates.

First out came Louise Goldin's Antonio Gaudi-inspired collection. In black, white, grey and with flashes of emerald green, Goldin's barely-there knitted dresses are her 3D interpretation of what Gaudi's linear architectural drawings might have looked like wrapped around the body. Textured, pleated and embellished with pearls and Swarovski crystals, this is a body conscious collection for women who mean business.

Similarly no-nonsense, Danielle Scutt designs 'clothes you can have a fight in'. A potent blend of sex, power and gigantic pussy cat bows, thes are not threads for retiring wallflowers. Her signature hyper-large animal prints, pencil skirts and spray-on catsuits with matching hosiery and shoes were out in force, this time emboldened by a new 'fighting cockerel' print and rock chick one-piece bathers.

Keen to shed their 'moody goth' image, Meadham Kirchoff eschewed their usual dark colours and fetishistic overtones for a lighter aesthetic. Using silks, nylons and jersey in peach, bright blue, nave and, yes, black, they showed feminine Courtney Love-inspired dresses with a loose sportswear influence. As Edward Meadham insisted in the accompanying show notes, 'We might not be shiny happy people, but we're not coffin dwellers either'. At this rate, it's only a matter of time before they announce the collaboration with Laura Ashley.

Words: Maia Adams
Photos: David Jones