Last week, the industry was given a glimpse into the future of fashion, thanks to the Central Saint Martin’s BA Fashion show. 115 students, all showing three looks each, put on an hour-long spectacle in the hallowed halls of CSM, to an audience of students, industry professionals, press and…Madonna, on the FROW of course.
Signalling the end of the academic year for students – but with graduation still a couple of months away, the famous grad show provides CSM students with the opportunity to show the culmination of their hard work and debut their collection to the world. Arguably the most important night in their degree, the event forms one of the most anticipated nights in the fashion industry’s schedule – with press, buyers and company scouts all on the lookout for the next saving grace of fashion.
There were big shoes to fill here, too. CSM BA and MA Fashion alumni include some of Britain’s finest fashion talent: Lee Alexander McQueen, Phoebe Philo, Grace Wales Bonner and Charles Jeffrey, to name just a few. As ever, there were standouts, award-winners, and pieces which challenged perceptions of what fashion should and could be.
The 100+ strong cohort raised the bar (and the catwalk – which was split in two levels) by touching on a multitude of references, inspirations and commentary – spanning everything from heritage to fantasy, A.I to motherhood. The latter took the form of a model carrying a realistic baby doll down the runway, and another constructing a transparent ‘womb’ as part of their piece. With such a varied and innovative show, we asked our TikTok community for their thoughts on the pieces.
A standout look for many was a dress which emulated a dandelion – infused with movement, lightness and the avant-garde, the neutral dress was surrounded by floating, 3D seedlets, which swayed as it made its way down the runway. TikTok-er Zuriela became a voice to the masses, noting that the “dandelion piece is a dream”’ and amassing over 300 likes of assent.
It seemed that the plant-based dresses on display were among the most popular looks of the show, with @petitephosphenes commenting “the venus flytrap dress… I’m in awe’ – a sentiment shared by 95 others, too.
Elsewhere, discussions surrounding fashion and art were started. Kicking the thread off was user @e_tb , who argued that they’re “all up for fashion but these are all goofy”. However, others tried to make them see a broader picture by explaining the concepts of RTW – with another user replying that “these are no ready to wear garments. Think of these events as an art show – fashion is a very diverse industry”. Brandon, on the other hand, kept things short and sweet – “welcome to the world of avant-garde!”.
Similar sentiments were echoed throughout the rest of the comment section in simpler terms – Q: “what’s the point of this?” A: “art”, while Graham suggested that “it’s giving pound shop Ru Paul’s drag race”. Alas – there’s no f**n H&M here though, that’s for sure.
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