For Martine Rose an alternative to Fashion Week really does exist

Relevant fashion brands are not obligated to tell the story of society or to communicate how it feels to the world, but Martine Rose has chosen to do so. The very same week the London Fashion Week was cancelled, the Anglo-Jamaican designer scheduled a show of her own, an event set within a large party lasting an entire weekend. Independent designers, vintage retailers, vinyl sellers, photographers, jewelers, and other artists gathered at the Job Centre in Lisson Grove for a weekend celebrating handmade work, London’s creative community, and the power of sharing passion away from oppressive institutions. «Institutionally, London maybe feels slightly more defunct and more hopeless right now. But people come together and find a way – and I find that exciting,» Martine Rose told The Face about the project. In a sense, organizing the show the same week London decided to shut its doors to fashion represents a sort of apology letter to the city, as last summer the designer helped empty out the calendar of the British capital by deciding to show in Milan instead. That the creative market on the building’s ground floor remained open to the public after the show only confirms that the SS26 is much more than a commercial collection for the brand.

Like the presentation itself, Martine Rose’s new collection reflects London’s vibrant and enterprising spirit, full of multiple characters and surprises. Each model embodied one of the countless personalities you might encounter at a London market, whether it’s a vinyl fair or a kilosale of second-hand goods. The styling was contemporary but the energy nostalgic; Martine Rose’s sporty aesthetic was recognizable, but this time blended with a sharper tailoring than usual. «I guess this season we have been exploring new fitted, contemporary ideas of modern-sexy,» the designer told Vogue Runway. Alongside socks, football jerseys, and the return of the Nike Shox MR4 in a new colorway, there were plaid suits, pleated skirts, and checkered shorts with white lace trims. Together with oversized blazers cinched at the waist, traditionally feminine garments and fluid fabrics like silk and satin softened Martine Rose’s world. The collection was fundamentally British, thanks to the prominent use of parka jackets, fleece, and black leather headgear, an image evoking 1990s London as well as the creativity and freedom that defined the fashion industry during that era.

In addition to being deeply connected to the British capital, the project offers sweet nods to the UK’s queer community through its aesthetic codes: ruffles, ultra-short denim shorts, tank tops, and unique accessories (t-shirts and shirts turned into bags, paper bags used as clutches, bunches of pink ribbon as makeup pouches) that bring further depth to an already idea-rich collection. Ultimately, Martine Rose’s SS26 could be seen as a dedication to society’s own perceptions of itself and how they can be changed: what does it mean to be creative, what does it mean to be female (a t-shirt accentuates a model’s breasts with large chest pockets), who decides what is considered good taste? To all these questions, independent designer Martine Rose gives a single answer, printed on a t-shirt: Everything Must Change. Now that London no longer believes in itself, at a time when Fashion Week calendars are emptying and fashion is suffering from a prolonged artistic and commercial crisis, the perfect opportunity arises to start from scratch. Rose does so by returning home and embracing what made her the icon she is today: inclusion, creativity, and independence.