As London Fashion Week comes to a close for another season (with just the menswear shows today to go), FashionBite Guest Blogger Michael George reports on his highlights from the NEW GEN exhibition space at Somerset House…

Arriving at Somerset House I couldn’t wait to visit the NEW GEN exhibition space, featuring some of the most talented up-and-coming designers today. 

TOPSHOP has been kind enough to invest in the initiative and support new design talent for the last decade (with NEW GEN celebrating its 10^th anniversary this season). It’s a fun showcase of exciting new designers, in amongst some of the more serious fashion collections being shown throughout the week, and a definite must-see! I’ve picked out a few of my highlights….

LUCAS NASCIMENTO

Lucas Nascimento showcased for the second time this season, with a collection rich in colour and inspired by street grafitti.

 Made up of  knitted fabrics in deep hughs and playful pastels, Lucas applied three dimensional letterings to luxury silk/wool blend fabrics to create beautifully cut linear garments in a range of flattering shapes.

 The fastenings were special in themselves, featuring magnets sewn inside the fabrics to give a clean finish to the elegantly fun, but mature collection.

SISTER BY SIBLING

Sister by Sibling showcased its collection for the first time on the catwalk this season, which was a fetishistic fairground of color and texture featuring head-to-toe prints, sequins and flourescent human hair.

Conservative cuts were combined with loud statement prints, which worked really well.

The brand also embodied humor in the collection, with face masks in fun prints and strong embellishment. My personal favourite was the faux fox fur scarf, featuring a knitted head and paws, which was attached to a stole of human hair!

CHRISTOPHER RAEBURN

Launched in 2008, ethical designer Christopher Raeburn has done really well with his fashion-forward, vintage fabric-inspired label. The combination of recycled materials, innovative construction techniques and unique design features work well together.

The current collection has expanded more into womenswear, alongside a huge range of accessories, which is great considering Christopher’s background in menswear.

The wool blend dresses were really lovely, A-line skirts and large industrial fastenings made good use of the vintage materials, with a modern twist. In addition, a nice feature – inspired by the brand ethos ‘to waste nothing’ – is the adorable stuffed animals created using off cuts and scraps of fabrics after the garments have been produced.

FashionBite xx