Central Saint Martins

An art college and cultural centre in one, Central Saint Martins is internationally renowned for the creative energy of its students, staff and graduates.

In the middle: Derek Lawlor dress from 2009

MA Show 2011

Californian-born Shaun Samson started off in LA, then continued to put his best fashion-foot forward, emigrating to the UK in order to enrol at the prestigious Central Saint Martins. He's worked on a total of four collections for Jeremy Scott, which suggests to me - considering the disparity between his own work and Jeremy Scott's brash and barmy aesthetic - that he may be a new Kaiser Karl of sorts, a commercially astute designer capable of catering to several different needs.

Composed mainly of oversized silhouettes somehow enticing in their awkwardness, Samson's graduate collection which won this year's Fashion Collection of the Year (€15,000 and a fully-produced catwalk show) is perhaps best described as a fabric nerd's tartan-covered woolly wet-dream. Inspired by Latino street-culture, American work-wear and prison uniform, the collection was exclusively sponsored by Woolrich which makes for a happy, and somewhat more solvent Samson, but a slightly compromised collection which in some ways seems to have restricted the designer to variations on a theme: the luxe Neanderthal.

His technical innovation (he invented a needle punch felting technique which enables him to combine several dissimilar fabrics into a seemingly seamless gradation of materials) smacks of Prada, while his cuts and austere aesthetic (loud check prints aside) echo the masters of minimalism, Marni by Consuelo Castiglioni and Raf Simons.

Ramon Gurillo

Ramon Gurillo was born Valencia, Spain in 1973 and went to Barreira Art and Design School, and to School of Arts and Crafts Valencia. 

He had his first studio in 1991, making clothes for private clients. In 1998 he moved to London where he began his life as one of the greatest fashion designers.

India International Fashion Week 2009

RAMON GURILLO A/W 2010

MANGO S/S 2012

The MANGO collection contains a balanced mix of beachy pastel pieces and bold rocker-chic pieces.

Russian model Anna Selezneva
 Transparent, stripe sweater from the Mango collection S/S 2012

coral pleated skirt

Kate Moss for MANGO Spring 2012 - Spy Game

Model: Kate Moss

geometric patterned pastel sweater

pleated lemon yellow maxi skirt

Mark Fast

Mr. Fast is a 28 year old Canadian born knitwear designer. He grew up outside the city of Winnipeg, in the countryside along a highway next to a forest. This minimal, peaceful lifestyle led him to wonder what life might be like beyond the familiar frontiers of Canada.

Finally finding inspiration in London, he studied at Central Saint Martins for five years. He completed his BA there and went on to complete his MA in February 2008. He has created knitwear for Bora Aksu, a collaboration that spanned three seasons. He has also collaborated with Stuart Vevers for the Loewe RTW AW09 show, and with Christian Louboutin on shoes for his SS10 collection.

He designs by hand on a domestic knitting machine. His work is formed onto the body as he knits, and he has devised innovative stitching techniques, blending lycra with viscose, angora or wool. He is inspired by the endless possibilities of lycra yarns, sculpting areas of tension and areas of volume over the body. His fascination with the cinema drives his creative process as he channels the energy of the characters who inspire him into his knits. Obsessed with texture, his most recent work explores the relationship of garments to the wearers body.

"Knits have a more intimate relationship with the wearer than tailoring or corsetry. The garment takes on the shape of the person inside it, and the finished look is always a collaboration between the two." - Claudia Croft on Mark Fast, Sunday Times Style 11 October 2009

MARK FAST S/S 2009

The spring/summer ’09 collection features a broad compilation of pieces linked through pure design aesthetic. 

 With tassels beating down the catwalk as the models showed off the works, it was clear that the label had a great deal of innovation to offer.

 Each piece in the collection is united in its precise detail, but set apart in originality through the color use.

 With bright blues and reds alongside empowering blacks and whites it’s apparent that the collection never fails to cater to a wide range of interests.

MARK FAST S/S 2011

Mark Fast S/S 2012

S/S 2012

Mark Fast is a Canadian-born knitwear designer. Having only completed his MA in 2008, Fast debuted on the London Fashion Week the same year. In addition to his main Womenswear line. The designer has also created a diffusion line - ‘Faster’ - as well as producing one-off collections for Topshop.