HarrisReed looks at the key shows from London Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2022

Catwalk highlights include a surprise appearance by Sam Smith at Harris Reed, debuts by Ahluwalia and Conner Ives, and even a cat at Yuhan Wang.

Harris Reed

Reed's intimate performance show kicked off London Fashion Week. While singer Sam Smith performed Des'ree's Kissing You, models were arranged in a cloud tableau. The show, titled '60 Years a Queen,' was inspired by an 1897 book about Queen Victoria's reign and images Reed sourced of Mick Jagger in the mid-1970s, with designs reminiscent of the club-kid scene built on the regal wardrobe. The repurposed fabrics donated by the Bussandri upholstery empire were used to create the demi-couture collection.

Goddard, Molly

Goddard's AW22 collection was inspired by Portobello and Camden markets in the late 1980s and early 1990s and Goddard's mother's best friend, who was a fixture in the Portobello social scene. She compared her friend to a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Mick Jones, with big bleached blonde hair, red lipstick, a 50s dress with an army jacket, and trainers. Goddard reimagined this eclectic mix of vintage thrift shops and army surplus. Fishtail taffeta dresses were paired with baggy men's handcrafted jumpers and trainers or layered beneath a men's overcoat with lace frill trims.

Nash, Saul

Saul Nash explored the spirituality and folklore that binds communities together through runway and an accompanying film titled 'Ritual,' drawing on his Guyanese heritage and home.

Mr. Matty Bovan

Matty Bovan's collection this season was all about America, and he spent two months working on it in deepest Connecticut. Bovan was inspired by high school TV shows, baseball, and cheerleaders. 

He spent time in the Mark Twain Library looking through folk art books, where he was influenced by Pennsylvania Dutch hex signs and antique pictorial rag rugs, and early American quilts. The collection was a mash-up of these elements, resulting in tactile looks like screen-printed and heat-pressed jerseys, intricate handcrafted lace, and folk-style American flags with photos from Bovan's trips.