London Fashion Week Review – Richard Malone

Central to the designer’s practise is the creation of a set within which to stage his cast. Richard Malone’s London Fashion Week show took us to an almost-uncomfortable, nearly-bleak living room in which a family birthday party sees ‘dressing up’ interpreted across generations.

Malone speaks the language of bad taste, where words which would typically make the fashion-literate wince – ‘fuzzy’, ‘cuddly’ – are warmly embraced. Striped stoles rendered in ‘fun fur’ are made from re-purposed dog beds, frock coats are fashioned from workwear twills typically found in school uniforms. Retro party plates inspired the prints seen across recycled, organic cotton jersey. Waste is limited - dresses are cut from precisely one metre of woven fabric and shaped through contouring by hand. Much of the colour palette takes cues from the tonal browns of ‘bad, mum lipstick’ and the optimistic brights of street party flags.