Wilson PK collection presentation for LFW S/S 2016

It was off to the Vinyl Factory, just a step away from London’s Carnaby Street, this morning to view newcomer Wilson PK’s first London Fashion Week presentation, Paradise Lost. We instantly felt a lot of love in the room, with everyone seemingly having a connection to Wilson – already a great sign for an emerging designer.

The collection was stunningly crafted, with indulgent handkerchief skirts, and the most outstanding and innovative use of knitwear, which incorporated marble squares and bugle beads in red and rainbow colours. These were set in sewn pockets on front panels of dresses, as well as within pleats cascading down flared knitted trousers and full-length skirts. Turquoise shards pointed centrifugally on necklaces and seam lines of blazers; colours alternated from white and salmon pink, to emerald green and metallics.

A key theme, also seen at Jean Pierre Braganza, was the use of horizontal zip detailing, which separates at the waist and has the ability to fully open in order to reveal spring/summer’s focus on the midriff. Knitted, flared 70s-style trousers were incredible in turquoise with pleated side panels enclosing small laser cut squares of marble, and asymmetric bias cut draping hung down one side of dresses in coral and rouge. The designer cited influences ranging from Dante’s Divine Comedy, art deco and his own turbulence with the Christian faith in this romantic and effortless presentation.

We spoke to an old friend of Wilson PK, who said that on their first day of University, the designer’s phone went off, and everyone heard Lady Gaga blasting out on full volume. So when his entire graduate collection was purchased by none other than Lady Gaga herself, the Central Saint Martin’s graduate must have been overwhelmed. It is easy to see why she gravitated towards his work and with such considered designs and pioneering techniques, Wilson PK is definitely a name to look out for.

Victoria Geaney
Photos: Krish Nagari