Mood board: The work of designers today is clicked and swiped in-and-out of multiple contexts stretching across the globe. The notes for Khalid Al Qasimi’s show opened with a reference to ongoing tension in the Middle East. It isn’t easy to challenge or influence political ideologies with clothes, but Qasimi’s childhood, growing up in the United Arab Emirates, is never far from his research. For S/S20 he explored familiar territory, looking at the notion of urban nomads and utopian ideas of the future. This time, the look was lighter and relaxed. Sun-bleached and sensual.
Best in show: Military references are at the core of menswear and most often influence the cut and shape of garments; here they guided the textile. Military canvas and heavy twills were used in clothes that had a rippling sensuality. A pale pink ripstop tracksuit was sheer; silk jelabas unbuttoned at the sides revealed a naked torso. Dimpled technical seersucker suits possessed a chic calm. Knitted racer back vests shaped an athletic body. Some pieces were riveted together, perverting the nuts and bolts of armoured fighting vehicles.
Sound bite: Qasimi was feeling hopeful this season: ‘Coming from the Middle East we have a duty to discuss politics and push things forward, the messages are political quite often but I am also really just expressing myself in the only way I know how – through fashion. I want people to be able to relate to a sense of hope and liberation,’ he said.
Qasimi S/S 2020. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Qasimi S/S 2020. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Qasimi S/S 2020. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
Qasimi S/S 2020. Photography: Jason Lloyd-Evans
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Itapororoca House is nestled in the Brazilian forest overlooking its leafy coastal contextDesigned by Bloco Arquitetos, Itapororoca House is a treetop residence in Bahia, Brazil, offering a large wrap-around veranda to invite nature in
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Sophie Smallhorn’s plywood tables for Uncommon Projects are colourful and modularThese modular tables by the artist and the plywood specialist play with colour for function, fun and flexibility
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Aldo Frattini Bivouac is a mountain shelter, but not as you know itA new mountain shelter on the northern Italian pre-Alp region of Val Seriana, Aldo Frattini Bivouac is an experimental and aesthetically rich, compact piece of architecture
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‘Dirty Looks’ at the Barbican explores how fashion designers have found beauty in dirt and decayFrom garments buried in River Thames mud to those torn, creased and stained, ‘Dirty Looks’ is a testament to how ‘creativity and new artistic practices can come out of decay’, its curators tell Dal Chodha
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Tyler Mitchell’s London show explores the figure of the Black Dandy, ‘imagining what else masculinity could look like’Originally part of a visual essay to accompany the Met’s ‘Superfine’ 2025 Costume Institute exhibition, ‘Portrait of the Modern Dandy’ goes on display at Gagosian Burlington Arcade in London this week
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Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
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Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
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Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
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Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
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Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London
