LFW, SS13- Michael van der Ham

One of the most exciting things about London Fashion Week is the burst of new designers. That is the edge London holds over the rest, for all its quirk, it is the home for the young and fresh. Sorry I couldn’t help myself from a little ditty. Michael van der Ham is one such young, promising and very talented designer. For ss13 he gave a stunner of a collection, one so intelligently well created, there was detail and a powerful aesthetic shone through. Upon seeing the collection you get the sense that designer must have spent several months working this through because it was such a collection that could go either way. London has sometimes been accused of its quirk overdose, so to speak, and can sometimes feel like it never takes itself too seriously when it comes to fashion and often always, the young designers are the culprits but van der Ham set himself apart with flawlessly effortless tameness. His hand is tempered, where other designers would have gone overboard with this sort of collection, van der Ham exercised such restraint it was a joy to see it unfold. Inspired by the works of Joan Mirò and Malick Sidibé two ends of the pendulum, he managed to find the perfect balance. Fabrics were hand painted, heavily embroidered, cuts were sophisticated yet simple and silhouettes were juxtaposed to compliment the nature of the collection without being complicated, the play with fabrics and feelings…much like his inspiration, on one hand it was crazy but balanced out with measured calm, if you know what I mean. But what was more solid about this collection, besides everything else, was the feeling of it being a collectors collection, investment pieces that will work season after season. This was a winning collection for London as a whole.