Five designers; first in class, Sosskyn

She is the Anna Livia Plurabelle of UK fashion, the eternal life force that every young designer dreams of launching into. Roksanda, Craig Green, Gareth Pugh, Charles Jeffrey and House of Holland are among the talents that Kennedy, born in Newcastle but raised in Sicily, has unearthed.

Every season, London's critics flock to the shows at Fashion East. This Friday was no exception. As is tradition, the shows were held inside the ever-destroyed hipster brewery Truman Brewery. There they were treated to a spectacular display by five designers: an installation, a presentation and three catwalk outings.

This was not necessarily a vintage season, but still one knew that many of the ideas showcased by these young talents would filter into shows on the mainland and in New York next season.

One entered through an installation by shoe designer Kitty Shukman, of just six models, two of them perched on a charred tree, as if left over from an eruption of Vesuvius.

Two of the cast members looked away from the audience, their backs carved into the shape of gothic crosses surrounded by feathered wings. They all wore the same footwear from their Again brand: Infinity Slides with an EVA layer in six different colors. Titled “Positive Energy,” the setting, according to the show, was designed to suggest “the physical creation of a seed of hope that Kitty nurtured during a debilitating depressive episode struggling with her mental health.”

A Cordwainers graduate who has worked at Yeezy (where she created the Derrick Rose sneaker) and a designer who has advised Balenciaga, Burberry, Crocs and Justin Bieber, among others, Shukman undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of her.

Another very interesting name is Sosskyn, a collaboration between artist Samara Scott and curator Tayah Leigh Barrs. Their clever idea was to have a dozen damsels parade in hyper-photogenic fashion beneath a fluorescent spray-painted wall. They brazenly approached guests with iPhones in hand, dressed in rags or in shreds of underwear made from reclaimed organic materials, used cashmere, torn stockings, mosquito nets and latex seaweed, whatever that means. Spray-painted and sexy, they all looked great.

See catwalk

After this appetizer, the three parades became almost boring.

The opening act is led by the talented Olly Shindler, whose conceptual boy scout and girl scout uniforms were suggestive, sadomasochistic and obscene. Like the Brown Owl of the guides, who looked like a dominatrix tied with laces. Or the last scout champion in a leather suit, whose walks seemed destined to end in a dark room.

Next up was Nuba, from the duo of Cameron Williams and Jebi Labembika, who presented a show entitled ‘Simulation’, the theme of which was how urban life forces too many people to adapt to a singular culture – which seemed a little odd, given the raucous multicultural scene that is East London. The clothes were monochrome constructions in technical fabrics draped with considerable skill, gathered with taste and worn with great pride by the cast. Cameron and Jebi earned the biggest applause of the night.

Finally came Loutre, a quirky cut-and-sew collection in the rich style of British eccentricity by designer Pia Schiele. From high-necked wool doublets with crystal panels to bat-winged aviator jackets paired with tea-cloth skirts and a fabulously flamboyant grande dame trench coat.

See catwalk

All in all, a great way to open the season in London and a reminder that when it comes to the search for Lulu, Kennedy leaves Andam, the LVMH prize and several Vogue awards in the shade.