model with green clothing
Womenswear: Colette Vermeulen
(Image credit: press)

The economic slump may be a major headache for young graduates, but at yesterday's MA fashion show, a riot of vibrant colour, lavish print and corpulent silhouettes showed that the future is looking bright for a group of undeterred Royal College of Art graduates. Indeed, 'very optimistic in its flavour' was how the college's Head of Fashion Wendy Dagworthy described her womenswear mentees' collections. 

Their tutor Tristan Webber was equally effusive: 'These students are re-defining the meaning of luxury through modern materials, morphing cloths and colours, and manipulating the bespoke with the irreverent.' Shubham Jain pulled off an eye-popping colour-saturated collection, embellished with oversized rope fastenings and complex flocking detail. And an incredibly detailed textured jacket from Colette Vermeulen was also arresting.

The pattern-heavy knitwear class of 2012 was reflected in the work of womenswear knitwear designer Rachel Chan, who charmed with an elegant narrative of structured pieces that played off hard graphic pattern against soft speckled hues.

Experimentation with materials and technology was in the mindset of most, such as Daniel Pollitt's plastic-wrapped trousers, Rebecca Thomson's mesh-heavy outfits and the mermaid-like PVC undulations of Trine Hav Christensen's dresses and jackets. 'They've invested their energy into generating their own materials, through bespoke weaves, poured silicone and advanced printing techniques,' said Webber. 'Garment surfaces have been extruded via 3-dimensional modelling techniques, sharply embossed forms and hand carved plastics.'

A strong menswear contingent particularly shone with the likes of Alexander Lamb, who underpinned a utilitarian and military blueprint with directional silhouettes. Hiroaki Kanai's tailoring-rich draped shapes and Benedicte Holmboe's enormous knitwear proportions were also torch-bearers for the programme's nurturing of strong design identities. 'RCA Menswear is celebrating, which is reflected in a combination of powerful silhouettes, an explosion of surface textile and print,' said Menswear Senior Tutor Ike Rust.

Now in it's fifth year, the Brioni and Royal College of Art award returned to shine its spotlight on a classic wardrobe staple - the blazer. The tailoring project, which tasks first year menswear students with creating an item of men's clothing in exchange for access to the Italian tailoring brand's master tailors, awarded its highest plaudit, the Brioni award, to Felix Chabluk Smith, with the Creativity award going to Hanchul Lee, and Tailoring being awarded to Francisca Hjermov.

Dagworthy believes experimentation and collaboration is what attracts students to the course. 'We encourage interdisciplinary - we want them to work in other programmes across the college, not just in our school,' she said. 'They work in rapid prototyping and they really experiment in material. We encourage them to challenge what's going on in fashion and to find their own design identity.'

Menswear knitwear

Menswear knitwear: Alexander James

(Image credit: press)

Womenswear clothing

Womenswear: Claire Zeng

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Womenswear footwear

Womenswear footwear: Alvaro Gonalez Bombin

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Womenswear: Daniel Pollitt

Womenswear: Daniel Pollitt

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Womenswear: Louise Van Hauen

Womenswear: Louise Van Hauen

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Menswear: Hiroaki Kanai

Menswear: Hiroaki Kanai

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Womenswear: Trine Hav Christensen

Womenswear: Trine Hav Christensen

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Womenswear footwear: Maurice van de Stouwe

Womenswear footwear: Maurice van de Stouwe

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Womenswear: Holly Russell

Womenswear: Holly Russell

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Womenswear milinery: Hannah Morgan

Womenswear milinery: Hannah Morgan

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Womenswear knitwear: Julia Ida Mackenroth

Womenswear knitwear: Julia Ida Mackenroth

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Menswear: Zac Marshall

Menswear: Zac Marshall

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Womenswear accessories: Yachne Serrano Rose

Womenswear accessories: Yachne Serrano Rose

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Menswear: Rebecca Neary

Menswear: Rebecca Neary

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Womenswear: Rebecca Thomson

Womenswear: Rebecca Thomson

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Womenswear: Rajinder Johal

Womenswear: Rajinder Johal

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Menswear: Ichiro Suzuki

Menswear: Ichiro Suzuki

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Womenswear knitwear: Lucy Hammond

Womenswear knitwear: Lucy Hammond

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Womenswear: Lorren Johnson

Womenswear: Lorren Johnson

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Menswear footwear: Aku-Petteri Backstrom

Menswear footwear: Aku-Petteri Backstrom

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Womenswear: Ryan Mercer

Womenswear: Ryan Mercer

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Womenswear: Shubham Jain

Womenswear: Shubham Jain

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Menswear footwear: Tariq Mahmoud

Menswear footwear: Tariq Mahmoud

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Menswear: Alex Mullins

Menswear: Alex Mullins

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Womenswear knitwear: Rachel Chan

Womenswear knitwear: Rachel Chan

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Womenswear knitwear: Apu Jan

Womenswear knitwear: Apu Jan

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Womenswear: Peiran Gong

Womenswear: Peiran Gong

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Womenswear knitwear: Rachael Hall

Womenswear knitwear: Rachael Hall

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Menswear: Peter Bailey

Menswear: Peter Bailey

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Womenswear knitwear: Samantha Bushell

Womenswear knitwear: Samantha Bushell

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Menswear knitwear: Benedicte Holmboe

Menswear knitwear: Benedicte Holmboe

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Menswear: Alexander Lamb

Menswear: Alexander Lamb

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Menswear: Tom Crisp

Menswear: Tom Crisp

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Brioni award winner Felix Chabluk Smith

Brioni award winner Felix Chabluk Smith

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From left: Ivan Curia Nunes; James Pilcher

From left: Ivan Curia Nunes; James Pilcher

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From left: Lorna Bilsborrow; Liam Hodges

From left: Lorna Bilsborrow; Liam Hodges

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From left: Lucie Vincini; Magnus Loppe

From left: Lucie Vincini; Magnus Loppe

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