London
Fashion
Week
AW12/13
Where the wild things were
London is defined by quirks and witticisms. The past week has provided a host of conversational moments and kitsch details. We were taken into the wild with monsters at Mulberry, dinosaurs at Sophie Hulme, and owls at Burberry. The shows' stagings didn’t shy away from drama; it was all-singing, all-dancing with Stella McCartney’s London return. McQ’s impeccable collection played out in an eerie woodland world, whilst toes were tapping at Meadham Kirchhoff’s disco explosion.
Kookiness aside, London also deals in fashion business and the leader of the pack, Burberry drew a very fine hand this season. Topping the list of most-talked about brands again, the digital bar was raised yet higher with ‘Tweet gifs’ and their embracing of Pinterest. They are the proof that digital works. Some of London’s younger brands would be wise to learn from the masters.
Who & what got people talking from this week's shows?
- VINTAGE
31%
Positive
- CHECKED
58%
Positive
- FEMININE
39%
Positive
- STRIPES
33%
Positive
- OVERSIZED
34%
Positive
- DIGITAL
31%
Positive
How were the big themes received?
Not only can we measure the scale of a trend, we can also analyse how people feel about it. Overall, sentiment towards the week’s most-talked about trends was cooler than we saw in New York, where checks were 75% positively received compared to 58% in London.
- Positive
- Negative
- Neutral
- Online Fanbase Growth
Who gained fans?
Fanbase increases across the month surrounding LFW are good indicators of online demand. Brands whose increase spiked dramatically could convert this interest into online sales.
Aquascutum
+854 fans, +63.7% fanbase increase
AW12/13Jonathan Saunders
+2,426 fans, +27.4% fanbase increase
AW12/13Simone Rocha
+797 fans, +26.0% fanbase increase
AW12/13Mary Katrantzou
+6,743 fans, +21.6% fanbase increase
AW12/13Mulberry
+25,205 fans, +21.3% fanbase increase
AW12/13
@Disneyrollrgirl More evidence of #LFW tapping into consumer interest - a NEWGEN10 tees shop counter @LouiseGray show pic.twitter.com/pHlCZ744
@Dazed_Fashion Michael Van Der Ham transparent florals, silk prints and glittering embroidery http://pic.twitter.com/kChJONnA
@alexa_chung No levitating or sword balancing planned for today. Dull.
@HilaryAlexander It could only happen at @LondonFashionWk :The Lord Mayor of Westminster Susie Burbridge and the 'queen' of Latex, Pandemonia, at PPQ show
@henryholland i can't tweet photos from my new phone. panic. attack.
@Burberry Members of Korean band Girls Generation Seohyun, Yoona and Tiffany at the @Burberry Prorsum Womenswear A/W12 show #LFW t.co/aEKcs8tY
@Fashion156 Cannot believe the standard just seen @MaryKatrantzou show! I have seen lots of shows, but something else. Audience look a little dazed!!
@Fashedatlarge 40s elegance meets 90s hip-hop at Roksanda Ilincic #LFW http://yfrog.com/gyvv4fmj
@TeleFashion Digital prints and geometric shapes in a palette of deep purple, lilac and moss green at Jean Pierre Braganza #LFW AW
From the Frow
During LFW, we analysed the content and sentiment of 17 million tweets. You probably don't have time to read all of them, so here’s our pick of LFW’s most influential.
Techni-coloured Dreamcoats
New York seemed bright, with its bold primary colours. Then came London, and how it shone! Presenting one of the most balanced colour wheels we’ve seen, the designers attacked palettes with guts and confidence.
Poster paint shades of red, blue and orange will raise spirits on dreary winter days. Antonio Berardi’s pop of brilliant blue left an impression and Acne burnt retinas with their acid green and lurid chartreuse.
Elsewhere, the military theme played out in mossy greens, mushrooms and stoney greys. Topshop Unique’s heavy wool coats and fluid shirt dresses carried this palette well, creating an urbanite militant ready to hit the highstreet.
- Trend Analysis
10 essential looks
The week’s defining looks, as decided by fashion’s most brutal critic: the public. Taking the top designers, themes and prints, we reveal what got them talking.
Online buzz + sentiment = our top 5 lists
1: Burberry
Showed on: Monday
Burberry’s digital nous isn’t the only thing they have sussed: they've a fair few friends in high places too. Monday’s show, was packed to its (transparent) rafters with fashion’s A-listers. The finale’s dramatic staging helped too, rain fell as the models stepped out, umbrellas aloft. Oh, and then there’s the clothes, which actually live up to the marketing hype. The collection was crammed with key trends including peplumed skirts, quilted jackets, floral prints and tweeds.
2: Topshop Unique
Showed on: Sunday3: Issa
Showed on: Saturday4: Mulberry
Showed on: Sunday
GET A DEMO5: Stella McCartney
Showed on: Saturday
GET A DEMO
Designers
1: Vintage
Seen at: Marios Schwab, Moschino
Cheap & Chic, Meadham Kirchhoff2: Feminine
Seen at: Bora Aksu,
Matthew Williamson, Issa3: Over-sized
Seen at: Acne,
Topshop Unique, Aquascutum
Over-sized: a trend which requires true mastery to execute well and mastery which Acne proved they have. They experimented with high waists on wide-fit chinos, the lowest cut batwing sleeve you’ve ever seen and an extraordinary bomber-jumper (see it to believe it). Quilting and high-shine leathers further dramatised the effect. Topshop Unique following suit firmly cements this in the cool-category. Their many-layered storm flap coats and oversized dungarees had the exact air of nonchalance that mere mortals can but dream of.
4: Military
Seen at: Topshop Unique, Moschino
Cheap &Chic, Margaret HowellGET A DEMO5: Russian
Seen at: Issa,Temperley,
Clements RibeiroGET A DEMO
Themes
1: Checked
Seen at: Roksanda Ilincic, Clements
Riberio, Meadham Kirchhoff2: Stripes
Seen at: Paul Smith,
House of Holland, Mark Fast
It’s not easy to transcend the naive and playful nature of a stripe, yet Paul Smith did just that. Giving the print an air of sophistication, his chalky linears in a mature palette were both refreshing and understated. He also played with degrade stripes across a pair of tailored slacks. Stripes haven’t grown up everywhere and of course House of Holland let them rip in full techni-colour splendour! Zigged and zagged across dresses, cardies and furs, these stripes blew raspberries at the grown-ups.
3: Digital
Seen at: Mary Katrantzou,
Peter Pilotto, Basso & Brooke4: Floral
Seen at: Christopher Kane, Erdem,
Burberry, Jonathan SaundersGET A DEMO5: Paisley
Seen: at Issa and on Alexa Chung
(in J.W. Anderson) at HoHGET A DEMO
Patterns & Prints
The data you need to make the right decisions
EDITD helps fashion brands and retailers quickly understand trends and market dynamics.
When you subscribe to EDITD, you get access to social, creative and commercial dashboards that help you understand your market more thoroughly than ever before. If you loved the information in our London Fashion Week report, get in touch and become a true insider with access to EDITD today.
