10 Unmissable Highlights from #RebelFashion

This look contains multiple continents and histories. Ashish grew up in New Delhi and came to London to study fashion. When he came across fabric like this in London’s fabric markets – known as Dutch wax print (from its origins in the Netherlands) or African wax print (when much of the industry relocated to Africa) – he was inspired to embellish it by sending it back to India to have sequins embroidered onto it.

2005

This Nokia 3210 mobile phone was designed to be customisable, with a front and back casing that could be replaced. This version was designed by NEWGEN alumni Copperwheat Blundell to incorporate their logo and it’s extraordinary how familiar this object seems to us today.

1999

This is one of a series of never-before-seen photographs of a young Alexander McQueen with his ‘Taxi Driver’ collection, discovered during the research for this installation. It was taken by Japanese fashion journalist Mina Wakatski, who visited the first NEWGEN presentation at the Ritz Hotel.

1993

Designer S.S.Daley was thinking about ‘queering the British public school system’ when he created this collection, adding floral prints and luxurious silk donated by McQueen and exaggerating forms to present traditional menswear items through a queer lens. The collection gained a second life and wide visibility when this pair of trousers was worn by singer Harry Styles for his video ‘Golden’.

2020

The combination of materials, techniques, layers and colours means that it’s almost impossible not to smile when looking at this outfit. From Stephen Jones’ brilliant take on a traditional Busby hat to the layers of netting in the skirt, it’s clear how much pleasure Matty takes in the process of making and putting a look together.

2019

Nicholas Daley’s attention to detail extends from the layering of clothes and accessories – including a string vest made by the designer’s mother’s knitting circle – to the way that he presents his collections. For Spring/Summer 2020, Jazz saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings wore this ensemble, playing as he moved, and got the crowd moving too!

2020

These incredibly delicate earrings fuse the contemporary technology of 3D printing with an ornate sensibility that seems to look further into the past. Her attention to detail extends to the way in which items like this are packaged, and continues the references, patterns and textures that she includes in her clothing designs.

2022

This incredible drawing was produced by Edward Meadham as part of the head-to-toe designs of the ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ Collection. It is testament to his brilliant draftsmanship but also to the totality of his vision, transporting his audience into an alternate universe that surprised and delighted at the time, and which is no less beguiling today.

2011

O’Dwyer’s designs range effortlessly from items that might be worn at work, at a club or in the bedroom. They are cut specifically to fit the bodies of her models, and offer O’Dwyer’s answer to the sizing problems created by mass-production and standardised measurements. They’re at once sharp and very sexy.

2023

This short film offers an insight into Leo Carlton’s process; designing in Virtual Reality for a world that is both ancient and contemporary, they 3D print accessories and appendages that extend and manipulate the silhouettes of their wearers. They incorporate materials into the 3D printer that can be ground down and reused, and which ultimately will biodegrade.

2023