Thursday at AFW 08

Day Four at Alternative Fashion Week kicked off with an ethereal two-part collection from First Year BTEC students at Kensington and Chelsea College. The initial outfits were based on 'faded memories', with mermaid creations mixed with Edwardian references worn by models brushed with gold body paint. The second part explored interpretations of the Little Black Dress. Next was a considered collection by design duo Sally Harper and Amanda Matthews featuring 1930s style satin cap sleeve dresses, Geisha belts, and oriental silk prints worn with intricate headwear.

'Aesthetic Victim' is the title of Kerry Fewster's handmade men's and womenswear which has a street feel: checked short-sleeved shirts for men, rolled up shorts and deconstructed dresses for women. Kerry's umbrella accessories were pertinent as the heavens had opened just moments before her collection. Aaron Ray Dowie sent out a series of outfits paying perfect homage to tailoring. Colours reference the Soviet Union and the Russian hit man who genuinely inspired the collection. There are so many interesting details here - contrasting collars, silk linings, fleurs de lis. Highlights include a black padded jacket and a totally desirable trench coat. Worn with simple black brogues with bright red laces the collection is outstanding.

Karin Helen Grontvedt studied at Southampton before returning to Norway and her experiences in the UK led her to want to explore recycled clothing. Working part time in a charity shop, she has been able to source oodles of fabric which she twists and teases into new pieces. She has crocheted many pieces from old T-shirts and turned them into cap sleeve dresses and caps.

Adil Iqbal took the Kalash people of Pakistan, one of the five most endangered tribes in the world, as his main influence. His red velvet tunic dress, super-skinny trousers, and draped deep blue velvet single-shoulder dress are all stunning. Silver leggings worn with a velvet frock coat looked bang-up-to-date stylish. The Kalash references were subtly blended into a modern series of luxury outfits. Barnet College combined vibrant bags including a Pop Art 'Wow' clutch and a twisted oversized duffle bag, with dresses from Foundation Degree students.

Tower Hamlets 'A' Team Arts sent out a formidable series of outfits exploring the slavery which still exists in the fashion industry. This translated as graffiti paisley, pound note prints and written words on well-constructed gowns. A photograph of a crying child on the back of a dress stood out along with the Born Bound coat and a fantastic Unheard Cries dress with words including 'trapped', 'crushed' and 'unable'. Karen 'Ketchup' Dennis and Lizzie 'Antiform' Harrison have merged their respective recycling labels for Alternative Fashion Week and to great success. Every imaginable garment has been reworked - chairs into leather jackets, granny blankets into hooded dresses. It's a vibrant array of poptastic, credible creations styled with necklaces made from computer old school computer discs and soft toys.

According to the press info, Claire Madelin's 'Multiple Rearrangement' collection fuses "classic tailoring and innovative modern silhouettes complemented by bold structural laser cut detail" In a muted palette of soft grey and white Claire showed origami-style laser tunics, skintight trousers, and an exquisite oversized laser cut snowflake shirt, beautiful clothes and interesting shapes.

Hannah Tamplin's 'Child's Play' collection explores 17th century children's clothes which is a challenging idea for a collection for women. There are playsuits, smock dresses, above-the-knee shorts and chiffon blouses, bold prints and a beautiful colour palette of dominated by red and orange. Akpo Obruche's 'Phew' collection is features custom-made corsets from the East End. In suede, leather, cotton fabrics, the corsets were combined with netted ballerina skirts. The final outfit was worn by a male model in a an icy white fluffy OTT pimp suit with an oversized tribly. He took his jacket off to reveal his white bone-sucking tight corset. Finally, students from Middlesex University's textile students explored kitchen utensils in outfits including a Tesco logo and barcode dress, a fork frock and a magnificent men's boiler suit with flags attached to the trousers.

Words: Marian Buckley
Photos: Paul Tait