28.02.2018
You can always count on London to approach fur in a way that’s rebellious and original, regardless of whether it’s big names or new talent working their magic with what is surely the finest material of them all. The AW18 shows didn’t disappoint: from Christopher Kane to comeback star Jens Laugesen and London College of Fashion’s MA graduates, here’s a look at how designers used mink and fox from Saga Furs to convey their modern takes on luxury.
Christopher Kane
Christopher Kane never misses a beat when it comes to conjuring the kind of ‘so wrong it’s right’ footwear that instantly creates waiting lists. This season, he did a plasticised lace knee-high kitten heel boot with a Saga® Mink trim – the perfect touch of kinky chic for a collection that paid tribute to female sexuality. A tactile crushed green velvet coat-slash-dress was lined and cuffed with Saga Mink: a privately luxurious way of wearing the softness of fur as close to the body as possible.
Jens Laugesen
With his haute couture sensibility, Jens Laugesen’s London comeback seems destined for the Paris couture schedule next. Back at LFW after a 10 year break, the designer showed his precise and considered tailoring in an intimate presentation, which included two mink pieces made in collaboration with Saga Furs: a hyper-elegant sheared black mink blazer with a narrow leather lapel, and a plush white plucked mink jacket. “I didn’t choose to work with fur because it’s fur, I chose it because it’s a beautiful material,” Laugesen told us. “This time I was really attracted to mink because I wanted to do pieces you can also wear indoors, and with mink, if you shave it or pluck it, it becomes more like a fabric. I wanted this velvety, luxurious feeling.”
Amanda Wakeley
Amanda Wakeley always understands how to make the textural qualities of fur shine. Her version of a puffer was a dyed green and black Saga® Fox jacket, while she applied blue-black dyed mink to a sleek gilet. Another great piece was a lilac Saga® Mink scarf with graphic white and black ends – a minimalist and contemporary take on the fur wrap.
Dmitry Gotsfrid
MA Fashion Design Technology Womenswear student Dmitry Gotsfrid was one of the names highlighted by fashion editors in their coverage at the recent London College of Fashion Press Show. The Russian designer – who has worked for Giles Deacon during his time at the LCF and was one of the Giorgio Armani competition winners last year – explored the inner construction of couture garments in a collection that was all about lightness and translucence. The airy, soft beauty of mink lent itself really well to this concept, and Gotsfrid had worked with the Saga Furs design studio to bring a coat with Saga® Mink sleeves and delicate fur mosaics to life. The coat was dyed in the palest of pink, like 1940s silk undergarments, and contrasted with the unexpected kinkiness of latex stockings. Between Gotsfrid and Christopher Kane, it seems we’re in for a subversive season.
Eren Hayashi
Another standout name from the LCF MA show was Eren Hayashi. The Japanese designer had used dyed Saga® Fox and Mink to create a rainbow explosion check and wave coat, which was shown over a PVC- holographic streamer dress. Titled “Warp”, Hayashi’s collection played with a multi-dimensional imaginative space where pieces were distorted and optically twisted – and what better material to go beyond standard garments with than the near-endless possibilities offered by fur?
