Sinzine

Photographer : Nikki Q

In the first of two reports from September’s LondonEdge, Mik Scarlet sizes up the styles buyers have been filling their bags with at the UK’s only alternative fashion tradeshow, and which are set to fill rails at your nearest alt. emporium any day now.  From rockabilly-friendly full skirts and frills to skintight punky bondage strides, and steampunk goggles to steamy, barely-there burlesque garb there’s temptation for all.  Read on only if your bank balance is feeling healthy, or your significant other is feeling generous….



The LondonEdge trade fair is a Mecca for all things alternative fashion. It attracts buyers and shop owners from all over the world, all looking to find the latest trends. I know it sounds like an anathema, trends in alternative fashion but the scene is now such a global phenomenon that it mirrors the mainstream fashion world in many ways. Thankfully not in blandness.

The first thing that struck me as I entered Olympia's National Hall was the size of the event, and the amazing colours. I remember when the alt scene changed from the day-glo of Punk to the black of Goth and it stayed that way for ages. Some groups rediscovered colours, but it's back big time.

The most colourful trend setters were the fantastic retro 50's designers. They have taken the old school 50's chic and crossed it with a cartoon influences that make it something that cannot be ignored. From the hair that seemed bigger and brighter, with the girls sporting bright red Victory Roll styles set off with all manner of mad accessories, while the boys D.A.'s got blacker and bigger, through the clothes, with 50's dresses being printed in so many colours and designs that even one designer admitted to me that she had made the ordering process more difficult than it needed to be by creating so many prints, and great rock t-shirts and workwear, to the shoes, with TUK now making a range of brothel creepers that come in all shades... even dayglo green, a comic book sense of colour pervaded this scene. Designers like Limb (www.limbclothing.com), Lady K Loves (www.lady-k-loves.com) and Collectif (www.collectif.com) were at the forefront of this trend for women, and Toxico's Rednek workwear range (www.toxico.co.uk), Kreepsville 666 (www.kreepsville666.com) and Lucky 13 (www.lucky13apparel.com) supply the guys. Check out TUK shoes (www.tukshoes.co.uk) new range... I covet them greatly.

An offshoot of this scene is Burlesque, and that was everywhere too. Superb and sexy underwear, towering heels and tip top sparkly jewellery featured strongly all over the venue. Designer Miss Katie (www.misskatie.com) managed to create a cross breed of 50's retro and burlesque that is as sexy as it is classy. Kiss Me Deadly (www.kissmedeadly.co.uk) also had a stand filled with all manner of burlesque sexiness. There were also many designers that combined elements of burlesque with Goth, like Burleska (www.burleska.co.uk) who have created sexy corseted lace dresses and combinations that take the standard Goth dresses in a new direction. Their stand was packed every time I wheeled past, so watch out for their stuff in a store near you soon.

Many designers have carved out their own niche. The superbly creative American company Lip Service (www.lip-service.com) and the UK's Necessary Evil (www.katesclothing.co.uk) really push the boundaries and have created a range that have a recognisable brand identity. I know my wardrobe is crammed full of  Lip Service jackets, and I have my shopping list of NE's stuff all ready. Another label that is a mainstay of my wardrobe is Raven SDL (www.ravensdl.com). They have been around for years  and now have a range that covers every taste. The big thing in their latest catalogue is their superb SteamPunk range. Not only clothing but hats, sunglasses and goggles, knee pads and even canes have all had the SteamPunk treatment to great success.

Of course you can't mention SteamPunk without considering real Punk. I know I was over the moon when a pair of old school zip jeans popped up during the fashion show. The show had many punk influenced stands, from companies like Queen Of Darkness (www.queen-of-darkness.com) who pretty much was a one stop shop of alternative shopping with a Punk/Goth attitude to classic punk designer like Tiger of London (www.tigeroflondon.co.uk). While chatting with the guys from Tiger I discovered that many punk fans were "conservative" when it came to clothing... something that made me laugh until I considered that I had been ranting about "real old school zip jeans" during the fashion show. Gulp, am I getting conservative in my old age? Bloody hope not! Luckily I then found the Glam-Punk of Charles of London (www.charlesoflondon.com) which really appealed and was not at all conservative. In fact it was another highly colourful stand that took the old punk ethos and ran with it to somewhere most excellent.

The last trend that was noticeable was crossover between urban street wear and alternative design. Many stands had all manner of t-shirts and hoodies that were covered in skulls and rock motifs, as well as brand logos that had been corrupted. Companies like Alchemy (www.alchemyengland.com) encapsulate this trend - and expect to see a UK rapper all kitted out in designs we wouldn't be ashamed to be seen in very soon. Not sure how I feel about that, but if it stops us getting hassled by groups of hoodie wearing teens I guess it's a good thing.

I've only scratched the surface of the show here. There were superb accessories and jewellery, like Prong (www.prongjewellery.com) and Now Voyager (www.nowvoyager.co.uk) and too many other stands to mention in one article. I haven't even touched on Ledge, the Skate area of the show. I'm not the best person to comment to extreme sports, so I won't. All in all the alternative fashion scene looks like thriving in the next year. One thing for sure is that it's growing and becoming a real economic force. Remember that when you get the old "how can you get a job looking like that?" line. Alternative is becoming more than just a look, it's becoming an alternative financial force. But let's support these real alternative designers, as not only will it keep the money in the family but might stop bondage trousers being sold in Tesco's!

Photos:
1 - Raven SDL
2 - Collectif
3 - Queen of Darkess
4 - Raven SDL
5 - Raven SDL
6 - Queen of Darkness
7 - Charles of London
8 - Tiger of London
9 - Miss Katie