[Insert Fashion Here] Vol.1, Issue 6 | LFW delivers romance & reality, what to expect from Milan

Documenting African Creativity w/Faculty Press at FNB Art Joburg Gallery Lab | Lelowhatsgood | Twitter

Oh hai! It was a big weekend in Johannesburg - 3 art fairs, plenty of independent exhibitions and so. many. parties. I went to none, but I did do one very exciting thing: I moderated a conversation on documenting African creativity with Faculty Press' Thebe Magugu (EIC, FYI) and Lelo Meslani (Snr Features Editor). It was my first professional public speaking appointment, and I have to say, if that's how the hiccupy first draft went, I want to do it again -- I loved it. Hire me.

Anyway. It's fashion month round 2 - on to the news!

Demna Gvasalia | DMA | Instagram

So Demna Gvasalia left Vetements! I didn't see this exit coming, but that could be because I don't follow Vetements' news. There hardly is any - they're still founder run (est. 2014) so there's no designer musical chairs to speak of, and they haven't made any newsworthy hires or funding announcements. Demna says he's accomplished what he set out to with the brand and his brother Guram (who will continue to run it without him) agrees, so it appears there's no internal friction/drama to speak of either. Couldn't say what this will mean for his work at Balenciaga, which he will be continuing, apparently.

[Here's hoping for a new challenge. The luxury streetwear category now feels like it was never meant to be more than a trend, and hype for it has peaked. Time to evolve, me thinks.]

Erdem at London Fashion week | Instagram

London Fashion Week technically only ends tonight, but Milan also starts today, and I've seen most of what I wanted to see from LFW (with the exception of pushBUTTON, the one official schedule show I got to see in Feb -- thanks Gemma! -- and the BoF presentation of Caroline Hu, winner of the BoF China Prize). London always delivers on a few things for me, in varying doses each season: Romance, rebellion & reality. Below, tiny reviews linked to Tag Walk & Vogue Runway:

Erdem| Inspired by the life and style of Tina Modotti, Erdem SS20 was filled with signature vivid floral prints set against updated Victorian silhouettes with a Mexican influence. Head to toe, it's a wonderfully eccentric delicacy. Pulled apart, suprisingly wearable.

Simone Rocha| Sometimes antique, sometimes gothic, always romance. Simone Rocha is ageless femininity, traditional fabric, comforting volume, and careful proportions, with a firm seasonal nod to the historical. Side note: I'll never get over those (~SS13) perspex-heeled shoes. I don't want to.

Molly Goddard| I love it when a designer with a signature thing starts to deconstruct/reconstruct/flip/explore the possibilities of their one thing beyond the iteration that made them famous. Molly Goddard's approach to manipulated volume from her tulle-exclusive beginnings has been applied to new textures, adding a new dimension to her designs. I don't think it's a successful colour palette, and I think the brand can and should stay playful in spirit, but the gentle move toward separates and layers was a nice surprise.

Christopher Kane|One of those designers who seems to have a direct line on our collective train of thought and the bits and pieces of the Zeitgest driving it. Sometimes you don't know why you like something or what it's saying to you (yet), but you do know it's speaking.

Richard Quinn|I don't know what Richard Quinn was going for this season but if it was dramatic impact then mission accomplished. I won't try to define it, but I enjoyed it. Between this and the last Givenchy Couture collection, I wonder what fashion is planning to do with all this latex.

Victoria Beckham|A well-distilled selection of the easy to wear sophistication that makes VB work. Personally I think the further she leans into the dresses, the better. In other news, she launched VB Beauty this week and last year's money trouble seems to have disappeared.

JW Anderson|I can't quite describe what was so satisfying about Anderson SS20. They were just good dresses and jackets but they absolutely were not. They were wearable pieces that didn't look or feel like anything that's been described as wearable before. Yes, even the infinity loop exo-bras, but especially the structured suits.

Burberry|Too many stories going on (bring back diffusion lines!!*) to really fish for a message at nearly 3 am (I'm dedicated?) but it's always about modern Britain walking into the future with a firm hand on heritage. This season that remains intact.

[*at time of writing, someone at Vogue Runway had accidentally labelled this link as Burberry Prorsum. Coincidence???]

Other mentions: Chalayan|Halpern|Richard Malone|Duro Olowu|

To Read:

• The British Fashion Council's Caroline Rush pointed out something very important last week: This could be London's last fashion week as part of the EU.

• Extinction Rebellion didn't have the LFW funeral they were hoping for, but impact was made.

Gucci FW19 Campaign | Instagram

Ciao, Milano! I really want to go there and say it in person; Milan is the only fashion capital I am yet to visit. Here's what's expected at MFW:

• A big Versace show! It's on the 20th, which feels like a pile on day between this and Savage x Fenty and a couple of other things I'm sure I'm forgetting right now. Sounds fun, sounds on brand, just hoping it's not all show and no fashion.

• Fendi, sans Lagerfeld. Their last show was a moving tribute to him, and I expect this one to be a statement on what they plan to do with the house codes and his legacy. Side note: I think it's wonderful that his two high profile seats were taken over by women: Virginie Viard at Chanel, and Silvia Venturini Fendi (founder's granddaughter and company executive) at Fendi.

• It's all eyes on Bottega after a disappointing sales quarter, and I'm rooting for Daniel Lee. Has everything in his tenure so far been amazing? No. But like so many other creative professional roles, I think designers aren't give nearly enough time anymore, not just to work on each collection, but to get around the massive learning curve of a new job at a new house.

• Newness at Gucci? Fingers crossed. The numbers say the new era ushered in by Michele (I said this wrong for AGES, it's mi-khe-li) is plateauing, so I'm hoping there's marked progression (aside from their brand new carbon neutral status, which is FANTASTIC). In fact, I'm hoping for newness all across. MFW could use some fresh blood.

• Did not know this before this week but apparently the opening and closing slots of MFW are rotated between the big brands to keep the peace. Hectic. This season, Prada(!) will open (4pm, September 18) and Gucci will close (4pm, September 22). [Shows start today, but I guess not officially?? IDK]

• Vogue Talents, one of the best and most progressive platforms out there for emerging talent across fashion (not just designers) is turning 10 this year. There will be a retrospective exhibition. Program head Sara Sozzani Maino should be very proud.

That's all. Except for the news that I finally, FINALLY finished my personal/portfolio website. I love that I own the dot com of my name, and I love it even more now that there's actually something there to see/somewhere other than LinkedIn to send people who want to hire me! Also - ZARA goes online in South Africa tomorrow!

Modupe Oloruntoba is a fashion writer & content producer in Johannesburg, South Africa.