central saint martins - graduate show 2008

john galliano, alexander mcqueen, stella mccartney, hussein chalayan, katherine hamnett. the list of luminaries that graduate from london's prestigious central saint martins seems to be a never ending list of extremely influential designers. even in recent times the school nurtured the talents of christopher kane, marios schwab, louise goldin, and gareth pugh. the torch bearers of the new reinvigorated london fashion scene. a large part of the success of the school is in its principle that the vision of the designer is put ahead of any other endeavors. commerciality becomes a by-product of a designer's maturation. develop their identity first and then adapt that individuality into a product that becomes more approachable. a school like central saint martins can only exist in a place like london. where the pulse of the youth generation penetrates the very core of the city. my pick for the next breakout star in this graduate show is simone shailes (second row from the top) with her a new and exciting take on knitwear. compared to past graduate shows, this wasn't as brazen and experimental. i dont know if safe is necessarily the right term, but in this context, i think that would be appropriate. hopefully these young designers aren't getting too caught up in the business side of their art too soon. with so many options available nowadays, consumers want something that is a little bit different. something that still retains some of the character of the designer. but you can't expect to have a galliano or kane pop up every year.



photos: style.com