The Central Saint Martins runway show provides an insight into what fashion’s up and coming designers are going to bring to the table. The famous school has bred some of fashion’s elite. From legends such as Alexander McQueen and John Galliano, to newcomers who have made a prominent splash, like Harris Reed, Central Saint Martins continues to bless the world of fashion with its designers.

For it’s Fall/Winter 2022 show, the theme was “Shiny Shiny”. All designers created their collections in line with whatever they felt “shiny shiny” was. From sparkling gowns, to plastic tops, to eye catching accessories, there was no taking your eyes off of the runway.

A prominent aspect of each collection was layering fabrics to create more dimension. Whether it was through sheer fabric on top of a solid or wrapping different fabrics over one another to create an interesting shape, layering was all the rage. Class of 2022 student, Mehmet, layered different fabric types over one another, to create a bandage like dress. The bright blue fabric blended perfectly with the white, and the black fabric with blue accents served as an interesting textile that created dimension and interest.

Cutout details spanned across just about every collection. Whether they were small holes to show an underlying fabric, or big holes that played an integral role in the garment’s design, they were everywhere. Some cutouts were just a circle, nothing too special, while others were designed to show a pattern. Some overlapped with other elements of the garment to create kaleidoscope effects, while others remained solo. However each cutout had a certain function; they weren’t just used to take up space. Some highlighted specific areas of the body, like a waist or decolletage, while others were used to create interesting silhouettes. The cutout trend played hand in hand with the subversive nature of a lot of the garments. Veldon Salim’s collection in particular relied on the subversives trend that commanded the 2021 runways. Different parts of the mesh fabric were omitted, creating web-like effects for each of the garments.

Nylon track suits took over several collections as well. While some designers adhered to the traditional track suit silhouette of baggy pants and a hooded bomber jacket, others looked through a different lens. Rafaela Pestritu used tracksuit material to create a hooded dress with a quilted nylon veil and puffed shoulders. Paired with heels that were covered in black and yellow fuzzy socks and a nylon poof, this outfit was ready to bring high fashion to the gym. Kazna Asker took track suits in a completely different direction. They used the nylon material to create a long sleeve jacket and trousers set. The model wore a nylon hijab that flowed to the ground. It was covered in different images that spread political messages, such as “what are we fighting.”

There was no shortage of dramatic details or accentuated features on this runway either. Shoulder pads served across multiple collections. They ranged from big to minimal, and provided the perfect boxy silhouette to each piece. Designers used fabric bunching to add a dramatic waist, or to wide hips. The main star was James Walsh’s accentuation of a woman’s breasts. They created a top out of what appears to be green styrofoam and made 3D protruding breasts. The top looked like a naughty lego piece, but was surely one of the most profound and eye-catching pieces that came down the runway.

While all of the looks were anything but simple, these designers still added extra bits of avant garde through the accessories. Some models walked down the runway in dog head face masks, while others wore egg shaped head pieces that had a cut out for the face. Some models wore clip on bang hair pieces to match the colors of their dresses. Yoav Hadari even created a grey alien eggs and added a “pregnant” belly to a dress to add an extra bit of flare. The use of 3D elements was an interesting addition. Designers created garments with protruding elements, such bowl like objects, on their fronts to add dimension.

While all of the looks that came down the runway gave us an exciting taste of fashion’s up and coming designers, there were a select few looks that deserve to be highlighted. Thomas Newbury’s sparkly gowns were show stopping. Made in both pink and black, the gowns featured dramatic circular skirts that were lined with different fabrics. The circular skirt bounced as the models walked, and created an oddly elegant piece. João Pedro Monteiro Machado’s paper-ring like skirt was one of the most intricately designed pieces. It combined sheer, boning lined fabric that had been molded to look like hoops, with a blanket-like train, to create a skirt of optical illusion. Although there were a lot of different textiles, they didn’t clash due to their white color palette. Joe Pearson’s menswear collection made scandalous outfits classy. By draping and twisting long sheets of fabric to cover just enough of the male models’ anatomy, these garments combined sensuality with elegance to create gorgeous garments. Finally, Brandon Choi’s womenswear collection was ethereal. The dramatic, bow-like, puffed sleeves, sheer fabrics, and gigantic a-line red bow skirt were incredible. The entire collection was skillfully designed, and the execution was flawless.

The Class of 2022 for Central Saint Martins outdid themselves for the Fall/Winter 2022 runway. They set the stage for what true creativity means, and did not simply follow the trends of high fashion. They’re showing the industry what they have to offer, and are stepping out into the world of fashion, hoping to be the next big thing.