LCF BA Showcase.... Patrick Um

"When I was interning at Duckie Brown in New York I watched a lot of Korean dramas in the evening and one of my favourites was set in an emergency room," London College of Fashion BA soon-to-be-graduate Patrick Um explains in his soft but excited manner. As we stand in his adopted East London home-turned-studio, surrounded by all manner of analytical artifacts and his colourful clothes, excitement echoes throughout the cosy space. "It was at a time when my mind began to wander through various subjects for my final collection," he admits before dashing off for a moment and returning with a cup of coffee. "To be honest I struggled to choose one and it was only when I was relaxing that the idea came to me as I watched the drama. I was intrigued by the instruments and intensity of the hospital." Now, the mere mention of the words 'hospital' and 'surgery' can be enough to encourage daydreams of dread, an aura of anxiety giving way to despair but Um pressed his stethoscope to the clinical, cold body of the theatre room and his eager ear tuned in to a different beat. A remix of function and fun, a chromatic concerto of capsules, contraptions, confections, cures and curiosities.

Having interned for the colourful crew of Cassette Playa, Trine Lindegaard, Peter Jensen, Gareth Pugh and most recently Duckie Brown, it was obvious that this emerging talent would avoid the obvious. "I intentionally refrained from making the collection too cold and chic. I wanted to create my own complete version of a surgeon's uniform, presenting them from top to toe in my own way." The grey, sterile and muted world of the surgeon is transformed under Um's skilfully wielded scalpel.

The patient's charts. A look inside Patrick Um's research portfolio.

Undressing and redressing the surgeon, the surgeon's uniform is translated into boyish, playful, contemporary menswear. This is a collection that revels in the beauty of details, both the familiar and the fantastical (tweezers as clip fastenings, an inspired idea!). From head to toe, garments reference and evolve from specific details from the workwear. Back loop fastenings, tight cuff bands and special seam closures are just a vinyl gloved handful of details that are stitched in to the final collection. With prints rich in the iconography of the trade carefully balanced experimental constructions and textiles, a precise yet playful beauty is achieved. The resulting garments are drenched in designed details just longing to be discovered but it is the nine prints that instantly capture this viewer's imagination.

"This is the first time that I've created my own prints. It's a difficult process but one that I very much enjoyed and would like to explore further." The prints were initially inspired by Damien Hirst's Pharmacy Restaurant. I searched the Internet and scanned images of medicines before rearranging them to create intricate and colourful designs. Medicines can be beautiful."

Are you ready for your prescription? Dr. Um's team will see you now...

Look book images courtesy of Patrick Um, detail shots our own.

Having watched on in awe as surgeons performed intricate miracles on Korean television and rifled through Damien Hirst's medicine cabinets, Patrick Um manages to inject his own emotion in to the emotionless, add warmth to the cold and bring life to the quiet. If only we could peer through this emerging talent's kaleidoscope every time we visited the doctors surgery, accident and emergency or anything else for that matter.

College Shop Two

After a hugely successful run last Autumn, College Shop, London College of Fashion’s very own pop up retail space makes a welcome return to the Carnaby Street area. Perfectly nestled on the ground floor of Kingly Court, the new space once again offers unique and one off creations by its legion of multi talented alumni. With stock rotated daily, the College Shop is a place of discovery.

The intimate boutique setting offers the perfect opportunity to own a piece of design future, now. With items from recent graduates in womenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, jewellery, fashion photography and illustration, alongside more established LCF graduates including hot young designers Ada Zanditon, recent London Collections: Men prospects Joseph Turvey and Domingo Rodriguez, recently launched fashion labels Antithesis and Coeur, and back by popular demand, last year’s  top sellers, womenswear designer Para Manko and fashion illustrator Rosie McGuiness.

The space is open for one more week (the two week pop up runs through to 1st November) so if you can make it down, you should. It is a place to get lost in. A treasure trove of affordable discoveries. Below are a few of the items that caught my eye.. 

A selection of finds from the likes of Joseph Turvey and Coeur.
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We love nothing more than showcasing emerging designers on these pages but it can be frustrating (for both you and us) that the designs are often unattainable. With the growing success of the College Shop, LCF are leading the way in showcasing their talent and in providing the first real opportunity to buy in to them.

LCF BA Graduate Showcase... John Alexander Skelton

Over the last few years the LCF BA show has emerged as a real calendar highlight as we've been introduced to a plethora of real design talent. Year after year, the pulse of my eyes is left racing. With the likes of Baartmans & Siegel, Asger Juel Larsen and Jade Jung Sun Kim as recent alumni, the moment we enter June my blogging stomach begins to rumble in anticipation. The Class of 2012 did not disappoint. As many eyes drift eastwards with the Olympic countdown ticking on, the show itself shuffled from its usual home inside the V&A to Hackney House but despite this move it was business as usual. As the latest crop of graduates inaugurated the new space we were treated to innovation and promise at every turn. For me, the standout menswear talent of the year is John Alexander Skelton.

Entitled British Lion, John Alexander Skelton's accomplished collection explores the depths of a familiar working class style. Growing up in Margate I often found myself huddled against the railings in an anti-social formation on the long pavement that dissected the sprawling mass of arcades and the sweeping golden sands. Clad in the standard issue uniform (late 90s at least) of a crisp Lacoste polo shirt, black Nike jogging bottoms tucked in to the whitest of white socks and a pair of Reebok classics, I engaged in social camouflage. However I felt about myself at the time or even now, from the outside at least, I would have appeared the archetypal chav. Away from the coastal seafront of my youth and the sartorial stereotype, Skelton was drawn to the uniform worn by two notorious gangs from Liverpool and offers progressive tailoring that fuses minimalist tailoring and sportswear.

"The two gangs had gained media attention and notoriety for their use of extreme violence, even at young ages. I in no way deem any of this as inspiration as such but rather, I was drawn to the the clothing that they wear. I had read a number of articles about them over the past few years and slowly I became fascinated by their almost uniform way of dressing. They all wear all black, consisting of brand's such as North Face, Low Alpine and Nike. This is done so police have a harder time identifying who belongs to which gang. For me the aspect of taking something that is designed for a completely different purpose and targeted at a different audience in to this context is extremely interesting. The teenagers will strive to have these items, they have become fashion, this is now there fashion but it is also an item that middle class, middle aged man will wear on a camping trip."

Skelton was captivated by a particular working class style that is prevalent and thriving in so many areas across Britain but developed his inspiration to create a considered collection. Whilst drawing on examples of Brutalist architecture including the Barbican and Trellick Tower (used in the look book) "with their boldness and irregular block type formations in concrete are very beautiful, the cold structures and sharp lines provided endless inspiration," Skelton reimagines the chav style thanks to a refined eye. "Basically, it is what I would love to wear, I regard ease of wear as essential to my process. I believe that it is a very grounded collection that has a strong air of identity and sense of attitude," the graduate proudly adds.

As with so many of the LCF students, Skelton's Showtime profile is an absolute delight. A digital treasure trove of inspiration, illustration, look book imagery and even a film. Having acquainted ourselves with the talent and discussed the graduate collection in some detail, it is time to explore the concrete estate and take a closer look at the designs...

Lookbook imagery shot by Ben Benoliel and modelled by James Taylor alongside the designer's own FMP Illustrations and the film by Duncan Roxburgh.

Having recently discovered the design talent, don't be surprised to hear the name John Alexander Skelton uttered in the coming months and beyond. "I have a few projects which are ongoing at the moment, I am doing something with Nike involving a few established London based designers as well as my self which will be exhibited in September." Beyond this showcase and looking further ahead, Skelton talent reveals that he "would then like to refine my concepts and skills on the MA at St Martins or in industry, in order to launch my own designs into the market." However, much like Aitor Throup announced this season, he has a growing problem with the concept of collections and is likely to explore an alternate path. "I would like to approach fashion in a different way, something interesting and exciting to challenge the tediousness of what is current." An exciting future is guaranteed.