.Cent magazine was fortunate enough to speak to the incredibly talented set of LCF  Fashion Design and Technology MA students leading up to their womenswear show this Thursday (many thanks to them for taking the time out of their hectic schedule!) Get to know them a little better below. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself falling in love with their designs at first sight – we know we have.

YUTONG JIANG

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

My starting point is naughty girl. A naughty girl never obeys rules; she is crazy, wacky and foxy. Her style is mixed and random; she can wear evening wear when riding a bike, she can wear a fur coat on a tennis court, jeans and T-shirts to parties… She is just having fun.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be? 

I would like to dress Kiko, a Japanese model and actress, she’s really cool!

 3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

The girly style with an attitude.

DIANI DIAZ

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

The use of innovative modern materials such as Foam and Silicone add a sense of newness to the range.  The concept behind the collection was inspired by the performance Fase: four movements on the music of Steve Reich, by choreographer and dancer Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. The performance is well known for its minimal abstraction and precision that is translated into clothes through meticulous cutting and attention to detail.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be? 

Fashion editor, Eva Chen

 3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

The use of unconventional materials and experimental approaches to design.

MENG YU

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

The inspiration for this collection began with some photographs of flowers as they began to wither. As the petals dry and fade, the accidental beauty of the flower emerges. As the concept and development progressed, I pay more attention to finding occasional and accidental beauty in everyday life.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be? 

Frida Kahlo who is actually my muse in this collection.

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer? 

For me, I always pay more attention in the colour and textile. The interesting thing is all the texture in my collection looks printed. But when you touch it, you will found they are very comfortable and soft. It is very exciting because I can use my own yarn design to create my own fabric. Everything comes from nothing.

MIAO HE

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

Initially, I was inspired by the artist Ruimteruis’ series “Qbes” and the architect Louis Kahn’s work of architecture ”National Assembly Bangladesh”, and I did a lot of research. I realized light which was closely connected with architectural surface, can transform internal structure to the outside, and create new optical structural vision by virtual space. Therefore, it can extend the space size between the inner and the outer of an object, in order to increase layered space, and the graphic element can be also converted into structural line of virtual space.

 2.  If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be? 

In conclusion, the over-arching aim is to translate these concepts into a wearable range of garment for women, and combine dress and menswear through structural line of garment which are based on body curve.

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

The fusion of elegance and fun.

ELLY J CHOI

 1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

I usually visit libraries often to get ideas and inspiration. This collection starts from the ‘book geek’ who is looking for her own treasure through the messy piles of old books in a library or bookshop. As she finds what she wanted, she hurries to pick that out from the shelves and let all the other books to fall down towards her. Although the ‘book geek’ is an imaginary figure and muse made up by me but it actually came from my own personal experience. Being apart from previous collections where I brought ideas from histories or fine art works, I think the personification of the muse with my own happenstance and myself was what made this collection to be something new and genuinely fun.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be?

Little J played by Taylor Momsen in Gossip Girl.

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

I have always dreamed of being a designer who can ‘communicate’. It could be communicating with the professionals in fashion or the art field in a smaller sense, but also communicating and interacting with people in general. This is the reason why I hope my collection is so special.

KELLY CHO

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

A/W15 The Bag is my first collaborative collection with my parents’ jewellery business.

It was quite challenging to find a specific concept and theme which do not over-dominate one side: either clothes or jewellery.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be? 

Charlotte Rampling in 1974

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer? 

Solid structural designs which associate bag images, a bold choice of glossy black materials and gold metallic details are the significance of my collection, which create a mature, sexy, powerful and rather avant-garde mood to it.

MUSHROOM SONG

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

My main point is looking at the concept ‘BLANK’.

Blank, symbolizing simplicity and subtlety. My inspiration started with references that look at classic menswear in oversized proportions. Creating a balance between androgyny and something more feminine is achieved with drape and volume. The key focus is on creating a women’s capsule collection with an effortless ease and timelessness. My collection retained several key elements – the ambiguities of gender, the importance of black, and the aesthetics of deconstruction.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be? 

Tilda Swinton, Philippine Pina Bausch, Yoko Ono, Echo, Kate Moss, Anna Wintour, Keira Knightley

 3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer? 

Harmonious design and a high feel good factor without losing sight of the aesthetic enrichment. The signature is minimalistic, but not strict thanks to the intuitive and informal approach of design. Personal visuals and a clear identity.

SCOTTACUS ANTHONY

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

I spent many hours watching re runs of ITV’s Sharpe and a day in the archive at Angels costumiers, looking through the incredible historic military uniforms. My mum’s birthday card, were the inspiration behind the print techniques I developed.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be?

Tilda Swinton

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

The infuse of pattern cutting and print design/textiles. I come from a sculptural background so have a very hands on approach to design.

QIWEN YU

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

My starting point is religious style and atmosphere. The aim of the character imbued within the collection is to treat religious people as themselves representing a tipping point, to balance conflict and internal feelings of a balance between self-control and out-of-control.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be?

Tilda Swinton.

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

My own style and attitude towards fashion.

SHINYE KIM

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

My starting point was to focus on the theme,’ supernormal stimuli’, which is about psychological concept. In this collection, my direction to develop design was derived from my curiosity about stimulus of human. Actually this notion is very abstract, and I tried to develop the factual concept which could be expressed the words of ‘exaggeration’ and ‘distortion’. To process the research, I established concept ‘artificial’, and I expressed an experimental pattern cutting and a new silhouette by constructing the factor of the garments.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be?

In this collection, my muse could be actresses ‘Penelope Cruz’ and ‘Salma Hayek’ in the film ‘Bandidias’.

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

My collection could be defined as ‘Sophisticated Modernism’ transcend time and trend by building a minimal silhouette created as a new pattern cutting not excessive avant-garde forms.

MARIA PIANKOV

 1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

My starting point was a video I watched “The Overview Effect”. It is all about the moment when viewing the earth from outer space. Astronauts describe this moment as perspective- altering, an experience which totally shifts your awareness. For me it sounds just breathtaking. First it had nothing to do with my collection, then I started looking for ways to translate this into Fashion.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be?

Jennifer Connelly

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

The collection reflects my fascination with both Technology and Couture. With NASA references at its core it includes also labour intensive workmanship and traditional needlework techniques. This is pretty much what defines me as a designer. Combining perfectionism, clever cutting and innovative product development processes to make a statement which gives the garments an entirely new feel.

SISI TANG

1. Did you have an unusual starting point for this collection?

The theme of this collection is curve and volume, like concave and convex, positive and negative. From the very beginning, I was inspired by the egg box that stored in my kitchen, wondering how the box’s concave curve matching the egg’s convex curve, observing the curves of each other, then I thought about the relationship between line, surface and structure, especially the relationship between female bodies and the surroundings.

2. If you could dress anybody, alive or dead, who would it be?

Jean Seberg, the American actress, her style includes a little goes a long way, easygoing separates, sticking with the classics.

3. What’s the main thing in your collection that defines you as a fashion designer?

Creative pattern cutting and textile art