Swarovski has announced its 2016 Collective line-up today, and six of London’s finest fashion names are on the rosta. Exisiting members Emilia Wickstead and Peter Pilotto are joined by first-timers David Koma, Alexander Lewis, Thomas Tait and Haizhen Wang to form the line-up from the capital and will enjoy year-long support from the company. They will have access to its crystal product, financial support with their collections, and the chance to win the £25,000 Swarovski Collective Prize, which will be announced next year.
"I want to over-dramatise my designs which are Fifties-inspired, so I will be using beading to give a cool edge and focus to the garments with curious and humorous shapes," returning designer Wickstead told us this morning of how she will be incorporating the famous crystal into her forthcoming collection. "I think these touches to my designs will give the pieces that old-world couture vision and feeling which, is so signature now to my red carpet and event dressing."
"It is a pleasure to build on the success of the Swarovski Collective with this new line-up of creatives," said Nadja Swarovski, member of the Swarovski Executive Board, who set up the scheme in 1999 following a collaboration with Alexander McQueen and Isabella Blow. "This is an exceptional group of designers, and we look forward to seeing them innovate with crystal looks over the coming year."
The London Fashion Week designers are joined by Creatures of the Wind, Rosie Assoulin, Tanya Taylor, Tim Coppens, Tome and Vivienne Hu from New York, and Christian Wijnants, Esteban Cortazar and Iris Van Herpen from Paris.
via Vogue