Despite often being brushed aside as the least significant of the “Big Four” international fashion weeks (the remaining trio is comprised of New York, Milan and, of course, Paris), London Fashion Week, the only one of the four that’s actually a mere 5 days and not a full-blown week, now more than a quarter-century running, still serves its purpose in the calendar. Not only playing host to the shows of some of the industry’s biggest power players like Burberry and Vivienne Westwood (not to mention the ever elusive Tom Ford who shocked editors with his revelation to show to a tiny hand-selected group here in London this season) to the fast-rising stars of the industry’s next international generation—Christopher Kane and Giles Deacon, to name two—the cobblestones of Somerset House, the event’s chief venue, are also home to birth of much of the infancy of fashion design.

While each city is known for a different strength, it is London, with its high influx of fashion students thanks to the likes of Central St. Martins, London College of Fashion and a British outpost of the Milanese-originated Istituto Marangoni, where young fashion, of the raw and creative kind, thrives at its best. London is where buyers, editors and bloggers come to scout for the next big thing, the McQueens, Chalayans and Gallianos of this avant garde world, fresh from the runways of their graduate shows. Unlike the other cities, London places a high visibility on emerging talent, and two “off schedule” venues run alongside the BFC’s main schedule at Somerset House, chiefly Vauxhall Fashion Scout and On/Off, alongside a smattering of on-schedule young designer events like Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden.

So here’s a little look at a trio of London’s emerging talents, in three tiers, each occupying a different rung of the so-called “young designer” career ladder.

Top Rung: All The Way On-Schedule, Todd Lynn

Though not exactly the newest kid on the block (Lynn shows on schedule and is repped by a major PR), Canadian-born Todd Lynn is still relatively under the radar both within the industry beyond the UK and the general consumer at large. After picking up an MA at Central St. Martins, Lynn went to work with Roland Mouret, a French designer who has his business headquartered in London and is known for creating sexy, zip-exposed dresses favoured by celebrities such as Victoria Beckham and Scarlett Johansson.

His aesthetic is a rather dark and edgy one, more of the sort usually seen in Paris from folks like Rick Owens and Maison Martin Margiela and he describes his aesthetic as “razor-sharp, androgynous tailoring.” What makes Lynn quintessentially London as opposed to more aligned with the abovementioned Parisian crew is his penchant to infuse his contemporary looks with a rock n’ roll drama, drawing on his work creating clothes for U2’s Bono, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood and even Marilyn Mason.

For Spring/Summer 2012, Lynn described his inspiration as stemming from “the Bible, The Age of Enlightenment and Sid Vicious.” Chock full of his signature androgyny, he turned out long, flowing trousers split open at the hip, contrasting structured jackets and a strong, editorial top constructed of punkish pins hang stitched together to create a rib-cage like effect and revealing not a little flesh peekabooing beneath. Next up for Lynn is a menswear collaboration with Asos and Topman as well as the introduction of a pre-collection for Spring/Summer 2012.

Middle Rung: Sophomore Season, Corrie Nielsen

Last season I had the pleasure to visit the talented Corrie Nielsen in her Somerset House studio (wherein we bumped into her neighbour, Christopher Kane) on the eve of her BFC catwalk debut, a collection Corrie described to me as a mix of inspiration culled from the “Elizabethan period, volume and shape, and 1950’s French haute couture.” She had won the prestigious studio space as part of her Fashion Fringe victory, chosen personally by John Galliano, the year prior (2010) and graduated from Central St. Martins. Upon collecting her degree, she worked for none other than Dame Vivienne Westwood.

American by origin, and the daughter of a prominent American sculptor, Corrie’s aesthetic is a hybrid of a deeply researched knowledge of the traditional craftsmanship of garments, including Victorian and even older techniques like corsetry, with a forward-thinking vision. It is ingredients such as these that put people like Vivienne Westwood and Alexander McQueen not only on the fashion map but elevated them quickly to the Pantheon of fashion gods.

Describing her work as “beautiful but eccentric at the same time,” her Spring/Summer 2012 collection entitled “Arbiter Elegantiarum” was a lot more pared down than last season’s debut. Nielsen continued in the dark Victorian vein she embarked on in February, but brought an element of modernity to the collection by incorporating a Japanese twist in the form of obe belts, floor-sweeping kimono jackets and cocoon shapes. Exaggerated folded structures such as curved boucle skirt suits and meticulous pleating created an expanse of architectural shapes executed in great swathes of chartreuse. Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray provided further fodder for inspiration which Nielsen conveyed through her reworking of 19th century men’s tailored dress.

Looking ahead, Nielsen is focusing on the business end of fashion, shoring up her brand identity and continuing to grow into a full-fledged brand.  

First Step: Off-Schedule Debut, Francesca Marotta

Multi-talented stylist Sicilian-born Francesca Marotta debuted with a collection presented (a presentation is an alternative to a catwalk where models stand instead of strut) at the glossy St. Martins Lane Hotel. Having studied design at the London College of Fashion, Francesca, alongside gathering momentum for her eponymous label, worked prolifically as a stylist working across many platforms including runway shows, look books, campaigns, music videos and editorials and with celebrities clients such as The Scissor Sisters and her work has been published worldwide including in Vogue Japan.

Her debut collection entitled “A la Recherche Du Temps Perdu” was inspired by powerful women across time and featured silhouettes that were at once strong yet very feminine riddled with sharply tailoring details and a functionality for both editorial and everyday wear informed by her years styling. Marotta describes her aesthetic as “strong, sexy, power-dressing” and cites “great cuts, the small details and craftsmanship” as her USP.

The crowning glory, a true testament to Francesca’s serious potential was a primordial couture gown crafted out of 284 metres of fabric and 279 metres of tulle for the train alone. Her other majorly distinguishing move was the completeness of execution of her vision, that is to say, Marotta recruited jewellery and shoe designers to collaborate with her and create bespoke acceossries to marry to her collection, an afterthought that is normally just that and never attempted by debut designers.

Next up for Marotta…the Big Apple! In the recent days since London Fashion Week wrapped, she has been approached to show next season in New York.

Kristin Knox is the blogger and personality behind the prominent style blog “The Clothes Whisperer.” An established author, Knox’s first book Alexander McQueen; Genius of a Generation sold out six times and her new book Culture to Catwalk has just been published in September 2011. She is also signed to the Special Bookings division of Premier Model Management.

www.theclotheswhisperer.co.uk