Ethereal. Structured. Powerful. These three words define Dilara Findikoglu’s latest collection, Venus from Chaos, a striking reimagining of divine femininity. With each piece, she breathes new life into the mythology of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, not as a passive figure of admiration, but as a force of nature—chaotic, untamed, and breathtaking.

One look directly invoked Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, with a model draped in cascading red hair that veiled her body like a celestial shroud. She seemed like a vision, stepping forth from the waves—an ethereal being reborn from the depths of chaos itself. The unexpected touch? Safety-pin trainer-style shoes, an almost jarring contrast to the goddess-like presence. A symbol, perhaps, of Venus’ modern resurrection—raw, unfinished, a woman not just of love, but of survival and reinvention.

Findikoglu’s Venus does not simply emerge from the sea; she storms out, unafraid of the debris of the world she leaves behind. One look featured a near-transparent dress clinging to the model’s skin, as if she had just stepped from the ocean and water was falling down her body. Another look was a structured, armour-like corset entirely composed of shells, pearls, and safety pins. The juxtaposition was striking—the delicacy of the shells set against the brutal strength of the armour, hinting at the duality of womanhood. Fragility and resilience, beauty and danger, creation and destruction.

Our favourite look was a blood-red dress, a colour of love and sacrifice. It was something out of a dark fairytale, a garment you could imagine Snow White wearing in a reimagined story where she is both the hunter and the hunted, a queen in her own right. Findikoglu reminds us that femininity is not one-dimensional; women are not just from Venus, but from Mars, from every star and planet that has ever existed in the skies.

Throughout the collection, exposed safety pins served as a visual thread—a rejection of perfection, a rebellion against the polished and pristine. There was no effort to conceal the rawness; instead, the collection embraced its unfinished, chaotic beauty. These pieces did not just sit on the models; they spoke, screamed, whispered of struggle and survival, of finding light amid the dark.

And darkness did indeed set the stage. The converted warehouse venue, stark and industrial, felt almost like a portal into another world. The audience could have just as easily been queuing for Berghain as they were for Findikoglu’s vision, drawing upon her brutalist, unapologetically sensual, and unrestrained aesthetic. In the dimly lit space, the models became the only sources of light—flickering embers of a revolution in fabric.

Chaos was not merely an aesthetic choice; it was the foundation of Findikoglu’s ideology. She leaned into the idea that true creation cannot exist without destruction. Venus, often seen as a symbol of beauty and pleasure, is reframed here as a goddess of rebellion, of women’s carnal desires, of disruption and resistance. Through chaos, there is harmony. Through turmoil, there is transformation. The collection questioned control—how much do we shape our own destinies, and how much do unseen forces, like the deities of old, interfere and guide us? In this show, you didn’t just sit and watch—you sat and listened, drawn into the story woven into every look.

Perhaps Findikoglu is calling on us all to step into our godlike Venus selves—to embrace our chaos, to forge our own myths, to reclaim the power that has always been ours.

Words By Nina Carter

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Di Petsa

Greek designer Di Petsa channelled her recent heartbreak into one of the most talked about collections for the week. The collection took inspiration from the designers own Greek Orthadox upbringing and with Greece just finally legalizing same sex marriage, the collection was a fitting display of love.

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With high profile models like Cindy Kimberly, Duckie and Jessie Jo Stark dripping in bells – the show definitely impressed. The collection encapsulated the overall goddess theme of the Di Petsa brand, with a display of Venus being birthed on the runway mixed with their signature wet look, trompe-l’oeil illusion dresses.

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Sinead O’Dwyer

Last Season, Irish designer Sinead O’Dwyer hosted her show at her alma matter – The London Royal College of Art MA classroom. The designer chatted with a journalist as her models walked and displayed her pieces. It was a refreshing change for attendees and set excitement for her proceeding shows. 

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This year, the show was hosted at the Old Selfridges hotel, pivoting to a far more central focal point, which was a theme that seemed to extend to the clothes. The designer went back to the brands basics and expressed she focussed her design on body shape, “I design for a diverse body, that’s the thing that drives the brand.” Which we can completely identify with here at VOIR. “From the very beginning of every design, I’m thinking about those body shapes, what sort of garments they might want to wear and how I can interpret things.”

_{https://wwd.com/runway/fall-2024/london/sinead-odwyer/review/}

Simone Rocha

After a jaw dropping display of mature elegance at Paris Haute Couture fashion week, Simone Rocha is riding the wave right into London. The Irish born designer seems to be on an ever-proceeding incline to becoming one of the biggest names in fashion after taking over the Jean Paul Gautier show and receiving praise from the designer himself.

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Her London Collection took a far more playful, childlike approach with models carrying stuffed animal toys as accessories. She also took the opportunity to announce yet another Rocha x Crocs collaboration, which worked perfectly with the youthful vibe of the collection. 

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JW Anderson

JW Anderson put a charming womenswear spin on the eclectic Grandpa trend that’s been circulating for the last few months. They did this by utilising chunky knits, thick wool coats, tweed, English style under garments and lots of slippers.

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Anderson cited Last of the Summer Wine, a British sit com based around old age pensioners in Yorkshire, as one of his key inspirations.  He captured this Northern aesthetic perfectly and the collection offered itself as a comfortable slice of British nostalgia.

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Dilara Findikoglu

Turkish-british Dilara Fındıkoğlu has become one of the most anticipated collections, not down to but aided by her recent success dressing Margot Robbie for the Barbie premiere after party. The designer chose to host her show in a church, which she sees as a “safe space”. 

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The much-awaited collection consisted of corsets, bodices, bright reds and deconstructed under garments. The idea behind the collection was to “destroy the corporate man “and rebel against male-built society. “I am really into the female form and as a female designer, I just need to celebrate the body,” Fındıkoğlu was reported saying.

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Dreaming Eli

Dreaming Eli is one of the designers to watch, founded by the incredibly talented Elisa Trombatore, who graduated from Central Saint Martins in 2021 with an MA in Fashion. The brand aims to empower women and fight against stereotypes through it’s designs, encouraging power in femininity as well as balancing it with power and danger. 

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Her SS24 collection was titled “Wild Hearts Bleed” and the entire collection encapsulates her the strength and beauty of femininity. The designer achieved this by using boned corsets with hard structured silhouettes, and pairing them with soft colours and delicate fabrics.

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_{Written By Lauren Dickson}

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LFW hosted 47 catwalk shows and 127 brands over the 5-day event, and so there was a lot of fashion to consume this past week. But don’t you worry, we’ve done all the leg work for you and put our favourite collections in this one convenient article for you. So just keep reading to see everything you need to from this London Fashion Week. 

Sinéad O’Dwyer

Sinéad O’Dwyer is putting the rest of the fashion industry to shame. Her inclusive fashion shows prove how easy it is to diversity the catwalk, showing us that if brands wanted to, they would. O’Dwyer champions designing clothes for everyone, and when you design for everyone, they are modelled by everyone, proving that other brands are simply not pulling their weight in terms of inclusivity. For Sinéad O’Dwyer diversifying her casting call is not a publicity stunt or a way to gain brownie-points among Gen-Z, it is simply fulfilling the purpose of a catwalk; demonstrating how the clothes will be worn to a consumer. This attitude to diversity may seem like a no-brainer, of course you would model clothes on a variety of bodies because there is no one type of body that will be wearing them, but unfortunately in the fashion industry this outlook is a breath of fresh air. Designers like Sinéad O’Dwyer are restoring our faith in the fashion industry and our next generation of designers who will hopefully champion inclusivity in an attempt to undo the damaging exclusion that has occurred across the history of fashion. 

The collection was a tribute to Sinéad’s late grandmother, Rita O’Dwyer, titled Dúil, an Irish word meaning ‘desire’. The collection featured looks inspired from the 1940s cinematic glamour that her grandmother loved including the array of vintage-inspired halter neck gowns that took to the runway.  

The collection came with Sinéad’s signature stretched knits; a technique that has become a distinct style associated with her brand. We saw the cobweb-style knitwork across dresses and bodysuits, to leggings and vests, demonstrating the versatility of both the technique and Sinéad’s designs.  

_{Photo Credits: Sinéad O’Dwyer}

Di Petsa 

Di Petsa’s AW23 show was inspired by Dimitra Petsa’s Greek heritage. Greek mythology, particularly the story of Persephone, was central to the collection. Persephone, daughter of Demeter and Zeus, was abducted by Hades and became queen of the underworld. The catwalk acted as a representation of Persephone’s journey to the underworld while Dimitra narrated the voyage from the centre of the catwalk.  

The collection was inspired by the iconography associated with Greek goddesses through the flowy silhouettes and delicately draped gowns, but perhaps the most prominent exploration of Persephone’s story was through the theme of fertility. Not only were maternity looks worn by pregnant models across the runway, but there were designs that mimicked the pregnant body throughout the collection. Whether these designs were padded belts that were ripped off mid-walk or rigid, protruding structures built into the looks, this collection celebrated the pregnant body. 

_{Photo Credits: Di Petsa}

Sinead Gorey

Sinead Gorey saw Cowboy-core and took it clubbing. The cool-girl brand that has taken over London’s nightlife is now taking over London Fashion Week with their debut solo show. But this was not the only debut that Sinead Gorey had in store for us this LFW, the collection also presented their first boot collaboration with Kickers, which was very on brand for the Wild West theme. 

The collection featured an array of rave-worthy looks spanning from the iconic body-print dresses to lace catsuits. While the collection was expansive and offered a variety of looks for the London clubbing scene, one thing remained consistent throughout the collection: female empowerment. The brand, the collection and the show itself all have this notion at its heart. ‘Sinead’s Saloon’ became a space that symbolised a woman’s right to have fun and take up space. Sinead successfully moved women from being the side-characters of old Western films and placed them centre stage.  

_{Photo Credits: Sinead Gorey}

Ahluwalia

Music influences our everyday lives, from what we think about, how we feel and even to what we wear. The extent to which music influences our fashion choices is a phenomenon that has only increased over time; we personally feel like we deserve a qualification for our ability to recognise a Tyler, The Creator, Taylor Swift or Harry Styles fan with a simple glance at their outfit. In the age of TikTok aesthetics we see a constant linking between style decisions and music as we see a montage of ‘streetwear inspiration’ videos soundtracked to MF DOOM. Similarly, we have seen the ’rockstar girlfriend’ become almost synonymous with Arctic Monkeys fans. It is this relationship that exists between music and style that Ahluwalia explores in their Autumn/Winter 2023 collection ‘Symphony’.  

This collection was influenced by the soundtrack of Priya Ahluwalia’s childhood, predominately 90s hip-hop and Bollywood tracks. These influences are clear in the designs, the purple and red fur coat would fit in perfectly in a Snoop Dog music video, whereas the more casual layered looks could have passed as a Lauryn Hill look. However, the music influences do not end there, Alhuwalia took it one step further and actually had the soundwaves from some of her favourite songs made into prints for the collection. 

_{Photo Credits: Ahluwalia}

Mark Fast

Mark Fast’s designs are far from the jumper or scarf that you may expect from a self-proclaimed knitwear designer. His Autumn/Winter 2023 collection is home to perfect party looks and everything you could want for city nightlife. From neon accents to cut-out LBDs the show had it all.   

The use of both male and female models marked the designer’s first foray into menswear and this collection felt like the perfect place for him to do so. The androgyny of rave-wear is certainly prominent in this collection with many of the looks playing with notions of masculinity and femininity. This created the perfect environment for Mark Fast to step into Menswear as the looks were not necessarily gendered. 

Chet Lo

Chet Lo teased their upcoming collection on Instagram at the start of the month with videos of hands and feet being dipped into luminescent water. They’ve had us excited for weeks since and on Saturday we finally got to see the collection.  

The show got off to a shocking start; from what we know of Chet Lo’s vibrant collections in the past combined with the bioluminescent teaser, it was safe to say that nobody expected an entirely black look to open the show. However, Chet Lo did just that. The show was inspired by the designer’s battle with depression, with the bioluminescent algae that brightens the otherwise pitch-black ocean symbolising Lo finding light in the darkness of this time.  

This journey was visible in the collection, with ink-black looks that featured a vibrant pop of blue or red making up the majority of the show. However, even when exploring such important and serious themes, the designer remained playful. As the models strutted their way down the runway, they turned their heads to the audience and stuck out their tongues to reveal the bright colours that would incriminate even the sneakiest of children. This light-hearted touch reinforced the message that light can be found in the darkness.  

_{Photo Credits: Chet Lo}

Fashion East

Fashion East is Lulu Kennedy’s non-profit “talent incubator” for new designers. This London Fashion Week they presented designs from Michael Stewart’s Standing Ground, Johanna Parv and Karoline Vitto. Each designer had their distinct style, but the show remained impeccably cohesive through shared colour palettes. Standing Ground featured some light blues and greys as well as red tones that were also seen in Johanna Parv’s collection. These reds were then continued all the way into Karoline Vitto’s segment of the show where we also saw some bright pinks that circled back to Michael Stewart’s designs at the beginning of the show. 

Michael Stewart’s designs favoured simplicity, focusing on clean-cut lines and classic silhouettes. These structural designs were carefully and purposefully constructed, every pleat was wisely placed and every corset perfected. These designs offer a gimmick-free look at luxurious womenswear, where designs are thoughtful yet minimalist.  

Johanna Parv’s looks starkly contrasted that of Standing Ground’s presenting a more utilitarian collection that prioritised practicality in womenswear, a cause that has often been neglected. Inspired by women commuters the collection seeks to combat the image of women who are hectic, frazzled and struggling with their bags. The athleisure appropriate looks combine chic designs with practicality, a genre of dress that has traditionally been monopolised by men; Parv is opening this world up to women everywhere. Johanna has since been named one of the semi-finalists for the coveted LVMHPrize for her practical yet luxurious designs. 

Karoline Vitto also used her collection to empower women, focusing on championing the folds and curves that make up women’s bodies. A design choice that was particularly compelling was the integration of metal into the looks. As we know, silver is the thing in fashion right now, but we have mainly been seeing it used as a colour, rather than a metal. Vitto, however, used bent silver as a structural element in her looks. It held skirts together, constructed necklines and filled in gaps or slits, bringing a whole new, and well appreciated, perspective on the silver trend.  

_{Photo Credits: Fashion East}

Nensi Dojaka

Nensi Dojaka is famous for her ‘naked dresses’ and has a long list of celebrity fans including Emily Ratajkowski, Bella Hadid, Zendaya and Rihanna. This collection was full of the usual dainty tulle and sheer looks that we know and love from the designer. However, for Autumn/Winter 2023 Dojaka utilised some heavier materials such as velvet. Despite the more substantial material, these designs were not without their usual lingerie inspired details such as exposed bra-cups or lace trims.  

_{Photo Credits: Nensi Dojaka}

Julien Macdonald

Julien Macdonald just made his return to the runway after almost four years. Macdonald rose to fashion stardom in the 1990s; changing the way that we look at knitwear with his ‘cobweb’ designs. Working everywhere from Chanel to Givenchy, it is safe to say that he has been severely missed in recent years; and he certainly came back with a bang. 

Macdonald has been known to dress the biggest names in show-business including Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez, and we all remember Paris Hilton’s 21^st birthday dress that was designed by no other than Julien. With knowledge of Macdonald’s clientele, it was no surprise that this collection was filled with glamorous looks fit for the stars. The collection ranged from bodysuits made for a popstar, sparkling gowns and even dresses that seemed reminiscent of Paris Hilton’s iconic 21^st birthday look. It safe to say that the star-studded audience made a lot of sense at this show. 

16Arlington

16Arlington’s Autumn/Winter 2023 collection ’Wake’ took on a double meaning. While the floor of the venue was dusted with coffee grounds and the teaser posted on Instagram ahead of the show was a short clip of a pupil dilating, the ritual of waking up was not the only theme of the collection. Following the passing of 16Arlington’s co-founder and Marco Capaldo’s romantic partner Kikka Cavenati in 2021, the term ‘Wake’ takes on a whole new meaning.  

Capaldo was inspired by witchcraft when designing this collection, recognising both the powerful imagery associated with the image of witches but also the historic prejudice that women have experienced. This influence was evident throughout the collection which played with light and dark, sparkling sequins and delicate lace, flowing dresses and structured suits. The looks explored the push and pull of the power yet vulnerability of femininity. 

The collection also marked 16Arlington’s debut in Menswear. The structured suits, lace-up knits and fur coats held their own next to the Women’s dazzling gowns, which is an impressive feat. The impeccable tailoring served as the perfect transitional pieces, trousers could be taken from day to night and from smart to casual with something as simple as the addition of a blazer or swapping a jumper for a sparkly top. 

_{Photo Credits: 16Arlington}

Yuhan Wang

With a title like ‘The Women Who Came Back’ there was no way to not be excited about Yuhan Wang’s latest collection. The show celebrated female resilience and was heavily inspired by the Quentin Tarantino film Kill Bill. In the spirit of this the collection celebrated femininity with just a hint of danger, balancing the delicate with the deadly as she paired ribbons and bows with katana swords.  

The hyper-feminine dresses were slashed and cut as if the model had just stepped out of a brawl, trousers and jackets were tied in knots and lace-up shoes sat just below the knee in a Tomb Raider-esque fashion. These outfits perfectly represented the powerfully feminine and slightly dangerous characters that we have known and loved across cinema for decades; and we can confidently say that they were looks that Beatrix Kiddo would’ve loved.  

_{Photo Credits: Yuhan Wang}

Mowalola

So, we all knew that low-rise jeans were back in fashion, we just didn’t expect them to go that low. Mowalola just debuted their ‘Dark Web’ collection and among a sea of looks all we can think about are those jeans. We are less tempted to call them ‘low rise jeans’ and think they should be technically classified as ‘knee high jeans’ instead. Inspired by New York streetstyle, Mowalola took the skater/hip-hop look of low-hanging baggy jeans to the extreme by having their trousers sit just above the knee. While maybe somewhat impractical, the same could be said about the increasing trend of not wearing trousers at all, and we are loving that at the moment, and so with that in mind I think this is a genius step in re-invigorating denim for a ‘pant-less’ generation.  

However, the collection was so much more than just one style of jeans; inspired by an apocalyptic society where technology is rampant, the show fed into the latest tend of ‘dystopian dressing’. These are the designs that Mowalola Ogunlesi imagines us wearing when we are fighting our last battle against the ever-expanding world of tech.  

_{Photo Credits: Mowalola}

DILARA

Dilara Findikoglu is a designer of Turkish heritage. In light of the recent earthquake that has had disastrous consequences in Tukey and Syria, Dilara used her Fashion Week spotlight to platform the disaster and urge the public to make donations to relief campaigns. But this was not the only way that Dilara used her voice this London Fashion Week, the collection titled ‘Not a Man’s Territory’ had feminism at its core.  

Each look contributed to the story of women reclaiming their lives, bodies and fashion choices in a world that has been dominated and dictated by men. Inspired by the protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in Iran last November, the collection fights back against the treatment of women’s bodies as location for discourse; why should a woman’s decision on what to do with or put on her body be open to discussion? The answer is simple, it shouldn’t.  

_{Photo credits: DILARA}

^{Words by: Amelia Gregory}

^{Header Image: British Fashion Council}

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Burberry, Dilara Findikoglu, David Koma, Matty Bovan, Richard Quinn, Halpern, Ashley Williams, Simone Rocha and JW Anderson AW20 Collections

As London Fashion Week draws to an end, we reflect and give you a round-up of our favourite looks and collections.

Ashley Williams

Ashley Williams AW20 Collection

Ranging from a layered green fur coat, to a satin pink gown covered in bows, Williams leaves nothing to the imagination as this collection employs a perfect combination of youthful spirit and a tongue in cheek approach to fashion.

Burberry

Burberry AW20 Collection

From leopard print and bright power suits to puffer jackets and checked corsets, Burberry’s AW20 collection has everything we need for the season, including a selection of fur trimmed coats and deconstructed rugby shirts that bring more of a new edge as Burberry also brings back its traditional print that everyone knows and loves.

David Koma

David Koma AW20 Collection

Bringing a bit of bling to the runways, David Koma captures the seemingly glamorous side of London life. Filling the room with sparkles, layered leather and velvet-boned corsets, Koma dazzles the audience with a powerfully embellished minidress that beautifully illustrates all things London, including the iconic ‘Gherkin’ building.

Dilara Findikoglu

Dilara Findikoglu AW20 Collection

Dilara Findikoglu’s AW20 collection is anything but ordinary with a hooped-skirt metallic gown covered in structured flowers, satin genie pants and various corsets paired with tights. One of her designs consisted of 3-D floral harness climbing up to the torso of the model and one was aided by a model carrying an actual cat in her arms as she descended the runway.

Erdem

Erdem AW20 Collection

From delicately beaded sheer feminine pieces, to androgynously shaped suits Erdem Moralioglu and Cecil Beaton brought a version of strong elegance to the runway accompanied by feathered head dresses and pops of turquoise and lime green.

JW Anderson

JW Anderson AW20 Collection

Jonathon Anderson brings an element of the 1920s into his AW2020 collection, with bead work, tinsel-covered garments, iridescent translucent fabrics and mirrored metallic tassels. His leather shawl-collared black over-sized suit juxtaposed the delicacy of the tinsel perfectly with such a strong silhouette.

Matty Bovan

Matty Bovan AW20 Collection

Matty Bovan’s AW20 collection pushes the boundaries on socially acceptable fashion, through his hanging curtains and hair-covered head dresses.True to form, Bovan creates a collection of weird and wonderful designs, that have no obvious narrative or order but bring a whirlwind of colour, shape and excitement to the runway this season.

Richard Quinn

Richard Quinn AW20 Collection

One of the most powerful piece form Richard Quinn’s AW20 collection is the jewelled head-to-toe armoured ensemble that reads “God Save The Quinn” across the skirt – a clear homage to Britain. The rest of the collection is a kaleidoscope of extravagantly silhouetted gowns, feathered head dresses and the iconic Quinn power shoulders.

Simone Rocha

Simone Rocha AW20 Collection

Throughout Simone Rocha’s show you see a collection of pure light streaming down the runway, consisting of cream satin, tule and wool layers. As the show progresses, darker more romantic tones begin to enter, covered in florals with rich blue, purple and red colours bleeding into the collection.

Temperley London

Temperley London AW20 Collection

Alice Temperley’s collection which was shown in her Bruton Street store was intended to bring an element of fun to London Fashion Week. Her pieces ranged from feminine vintage-style dresses, to stronger leather suits with a music-inspired print featuring multiple times throughout the collection.

Halpern

Halpern AW20 Collection

Bringing back some 80s vibes, Halpern’s AW20 collection consists of a multitude of detailed textures and prints, ranging from burnout velvet and green snake print leather to 3-D floral colours and fringed tiger print. Many of the looks were accompanied by knee-high boots and intricate face decoration.

Words by Katie Janes

Graphics by Katie Janes

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