On Wednesday afternoon I headed away from the plush serenity of the British Fashion Council tent and over to Brick Lane for the Fashion East show starring House of Holland, Louise Gray and Noki. This show definitely always attracts a diverse crowd-this season everyone from designersdu jour Gareth Pugh to gay icon DJs Jodie Harsh and Princess Julia. After climbing about a million flights of stairs up to the uber industrial Boiler Room on the roof of the Old Truman Brewery I sandwiched myself between a rowdy drag queen and the too-cool-for-school East End club kids...
First up was House of Holland. Presenting a collection entirely devoid of his signature slogan tees designer Henry Holland instead chose to look to 80s California and 90s Heavy Metal for his inspiration. Opening the show was his pal Agyness, platinum hair slicked back a la Sharon Stone, who strode the runway in a maroon/mustard patent leather studded biker jacket/hot pants combo.
Moving on Holland presented the boisterous crowd (everytime they yelled a bit more plaster fell on my head) with skin-tight fluoro tiger print minidresses and all-in-ones complete with easy-access front zip detail. Cropped tees and super short shorts were the order of the day for boys as well as the girls. Completing the surf/skate/metal vibe was a healthy measure of denim, tie-dye and leopard rubber swimwear that looked straight out of the movie Point Break.
This collection isn't what you'd call classy but that's not what Holland is about- it's about having fun with fashion- and if you don't believe me check out his hilarious biography in the form of a poem on his website www.houseofholland.co.uk. To sum up, in trendier parts of Camden and Shoreditch the outfits would no doubt go down a storm, everywhere else you'd probably have to avoid street corners or else look like you're soliciting. That aside, this new direction for Holland shows he's no one trick pony.
Next up was Louise Gray, the Scottish born designer was showing her debut LFW collection after recently graduating from the prestigious MA course at Central Saint Martins. Her approach to design is artistic with a mixture of paint-box brights with cobalt, crimson, emerald, dolly pink and tangerine contrasted with magnolia, bottle green and (appropriately) grey.
Contrast was not just limited to colour- textures also played a key part in this collection. Silver chain, layers of unfinished silk chiffon and what to me looked like bendy hair rollers overlayed the simple, loose fitting garments providing three-dimensional detail in the manner of a collage.
And now for something completely different. Closing the show Noki (a play on Ikon) made a welcome return to LFW with undoubtedly the most outlandish collection of the week. Striking a crazy balance somewhere between post apocalyptic mutant-chic, naff 80s ballgowns, deconstructed rock tees, club wear, chav-tastic sportswear, Disney character emblems and the hugest wigs you ever did see, this show certainly wasn't lacking in drama.
Designer Jonathan "JJ" Hudson is something of an enigma in the fashion industry. Something of a recluse you'll rarely see pictures of him (then only with trademark mask) and he doesn't want to sell you clothes. What the Noki House of Sustainability (NHS) are about is about inspiring everyone to have a bash at customizing and recycling their old stuff. You don't have to go nuts attacking an old bridesmaid's dress with scissors and pvc- try altering necklines and hemlines or head to a haberdashers and get some beads to tart up a plain top.