Phoebe English brings a peaceful beauty to LFW

British fashion designer Phoebe English, who has been at the forefront of sustainable fashion, returned to the London Fashion Week schedule with an exploration of the corsage, as well as the flowers with which she has a personal affinity.

The intimate presentation, held in an art gallery space in Bethnal Green, took the audience through a calendar year of flowers, from snowdrops fluttering down the arms to 3D apple blossom, foxgloves, and dandelions, with pieces utilising surplus and off-cut fabrics from the bridal industry.

The 12-piece ‘Lost Touch’ decorative collection saw each style highlighting a different flower and the lifecycle of the seasons, moving from the transparent winter months to denser, fuller silhouettes in the spring and summer, all presented in varying shades of cream and white to highlight the texture of the flowers and leaves.

Key pieces from the collection included translucent tops, boxy shirts, drawstring trousers and dresses, some featured florals enlarged as 3D creations, which secured around the arms and body, fluttered as they would in a gentle breeze when the models walked, while others looked like they’d been pressed between the pages of a book and embossed onto the fabric.

“This collection follows a calendar year where each look includes a plant from that month,” explains English to FashionUnited in an interview. “We've been looking at the architecture of each plant, as well as scale and exploring the idea of the corsage.”

Phoebe English returns to the London Fashion Week schedule

To find out more about the British designer’s design process, FashionUnited chatted with the designer about how she implements sustainable practices into her collections and the biggest challenges facing independent labels like hers in London.

You often describe your work as "designing backwards" – how do you make your collections sustainable?

We're still exploring that every time we do a collection. So far, we've explored using waste materials, developing reduced waste patterns and working with botanical and natural dyes to reduce the dependency on petrochemical colour.

You’ve said previously that a mono-fibre approach is the best to ensure garment biodegradability – what are the biggest technical hurdles you’ve faced in replacing standard components like zips and interfacings with natural alternatives?

When we first started working like this, it required more planning, thought and research to make it work. But now that's all in place, we simply follow that framework every time we make a new garment.

Does your sustainable approach to fashion make it harder to be a successful designer in today’s commercial landscape?

Sometimes yes, but we have found that we create deeper relationships with returning clients who are interested in sustainability.

You’ve shared your research at institutions like the British Library and the Barbican. How do you feel about the industry’s pace in adopting a circular approach to design?

It's always exciting to see circular design taken seriously, and I hope to see it develop and grow.

You’ve previously partnered with several brands in recent years, including Lavenham and Toast – how do you decide on the brands you work with?

In these cases, it was interesting to work with these brands who already have sustainable approaches in their working framework and to see what they have changed over time, but it is also interesting to work with brands who don't have these in place, and we are keen to help them.

Your work was recently featured in the Barbican's ‘Dirty Looks’ exhibition – how did that feel to see your work displayed?

It was a really special moment to see work from one of our old collections on display. It was a lovely exhibition, and I'm really pleased we got to be a part of it.

The fashion industry has had a tough few years, especially for independent labels – how have you maintained your longevity?

We never wanted to just do wholesale, so we have pertained a direct following that has sustained us recently. There isn't a recipe to follow; however, we chop and change as we go, following our instincts.

What are the current challenges facing your business?

London studio rental prices and maintaining our cash flow.