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At Wonderland we are always on the look out for the best and brightest young menswear designers. Next Monday (6^th June 2016), the London College of Fashion team return for their annual show, presenting their leading menswear designers in this graduating year. The menswear catwalk collections have been directed and styled by Rob Phillips (the LCF Creative Director of Fashion and Design) to form a masterpiece of a show. Featuring the different courses that have the option to explore menswear design, the show will form a cross-disciplinary examination of contemporary menswear and demonstrate the talent that the future of menswear has to look forward to.

Here we chat to three of the most exciting graduates, Joseph Standish, Tsun Cheung Lai and Sam Thompson, about their collections.

Joseph Standish

Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development

Joseph Standish, BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Development

Tell us a little about yourself?

I am originally from Wolverhampton and I have never told a lie

What was the starting point for this collection?

I think that higher end fashion can be very esoteric and difficult for people to relate to, I tried to react to my personal frustration with the widespread use of industry standard models and represent a wider image of beauty. Creating characters that had bad tattoos, were drinking beer and eating takeaways felt more real, more humanized to me. More so than a couture dress. I draw a lot of inspiration from people, the bloke in the pub or the builder working on your windows. It’s my dad and his mates I’m trying to design for.

What beats are playing in the studio while you’re designing?

I listen to a lot of crappy punk rock, I am a bit of a sucker for some teenage angst. Recently I have had God Damns’ (two piece band from the Black Country) album on a lot and JME’s album Integrity so I guess it’s a bit all over the place.

Your favourite piece from the collection and why?

For each look I have developed a unique character with his own story and persona. My favourite to work on was tony (the guy made from jersey) I had a lot of fun making him and got to do a bit of drawing in the process. I think at this point in my development I really just wanted to see what I could still get considered for catwalk and really challenge people’s ideals of a fashion show.

The trickiest part of the design process?

Discovering what it was I wanted from my designs, I think for a while I was creating garments that felt very safe and commercial in their direction. It didn’t really reflect how I felt about fashion. LCF’s creative direction team were amazing in helping me overcome these restrictions and I’m excited about future possibilities and to see growth in the ideals I feel so passionate about. 

Your least and most favourite thing about LC:M?

I wish it could be more encompassing, I really want the opportunity to let everyone see a show or wear the clothes. I think it’s a shame that some of the events are shut off to the “average” public. My favourite thing is that LC:M gives a lot of new designers a chance who are less commercially safe. I personally think that’s really important for the fashion industry and at the end of the day I think a show should be an experience not just a walking clothes rail.

Sum up this season in three words!

Long Live Honest Man

Tsun Cheung Lai

Course: BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring

Tsun Cheung Lai, BA (Hons) Bespoke Tailoring; Caroline Klemp, BA (Hons) Cordwainers Footwear: Product Design and Innovation; Joseph Mangan, BA (Hons) Cordwainers Fashion Bags and Accessories: Product Design and Innovation

What was the starting point for this collection?

My work is a mixture of traditional tailoring and contemporary menswear. I wanted to challenge the traditional concept of bespoke tailoring by exploring new and surprising techniques and by using untraditional fabric. I also used sail making techniques in my work.

What beats are playing in the studio while you’re designing?

Techno and Jazz.

Your favourite piece from the collection and why?

My first tailored jacket made from ripstop, which is used to make kites for kitesurfing and it is not the easiest material to make a traditional jacket out of so I had to create new techniques to make it easier. 

The trickiest part of the design process?

I tend to have new ideas every single day so whilst I am making the garment, it is very hard to stick with one final design and I always want to make it better. But because of time, I eventually make a decision!

Your least and most favourite thing about LC:M?

I love the energy and the atmosphere! I wish I could go to every show.

Sum up this season in three words!

New bold and exciting

Sam Thompson

Course: BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Menswear

Sam Thompson, BA (Hons) Fashion Design Technology: Menswear; Emma Han, BA (Hons) Fashion Textiles: Embroidery; George Oxby, BA (Hons) Fashion Sportswear

Tell us a little about yourself?

I didn’t really decide I wanted to be in fashion until super late. I was actually studying maths, history and philosophy for A-level, but I realised I was having more fun styling what I was wearing to my classes then actually studying in them. It was only when I started studying fashion that I realised how much scope there was to be explored, especially in menswear.

What was the starting point for this collection?

It was really more of a visual, than a conceptual starting point. I kept noticing how people's attitudes were reflected in how they wore their clothes. The way that they were standing and the position of their bodies affected the shape of the garment. As a designer you often think like this – of conforming and fitting the garment to the body, but I decided that it would be interesting to imbue the clothes with a pre-defined attitude that the bodies wearing them would then have to conform to.

What beats are playing in the studio while you’re designing?

I’m really into the new Lukas Graham album mixed in with DJ Vlads hardvapour mix when I need to get things done. I also love listening to the dulcet tones of Lou Stoppard interviewing people on SHOWstudio.

Your favourite piece from the collection and why

I love the Oversized MA-1 bomber jacket. It was by far the hardest to pattern cut and make but it just came out perfect and really coveys the concept of the collection as a whole.

The trickiest part of the design process?

Starting. Everything can look amazing in your head, but when you actually start putting stuff down on paper you realise how much of what you thought looked good really doesn’t!!

Your least and most favourite thing about LC:M?

I always love the MAN show, it’s so cool when you see designers really pushing themselves to create something new. I love it when I see something where I'm like 'how the hell did you do that??; And then try to figure out how they did it. What's sad is when you see those same designers having to conform to the commercial realities of the industry three seasons later.

Sum up this season in three words!

Look at me!!!!

Photographer: James Rees

Creative Direction: Rob Phillips

Hair: Ezana Ové

Beauty: Kirsty Gaston

Words: Annabel Lunnon

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Kelly Cho

Sisi Tang

Qiwen Wu

Play Space

Maria Piankov

Elly Choi

Diani Diaz

Meng Yu

Shinye Kim

Scottacus Anthony

Mushroom Song

Words: Tom Rasmussen.

Styling: Anders Sølvsten Thomsen.

Make Up: Andrew Gallimore and the M∙A∙C PRO team.

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Twelve London College of Fashion students selected by David Hellqvist, Daryoush Haj-Najafi and Becc Gray showed their collections at the first LC:M show by the university. Held in the cinematic hall of the Former Welsh Chapel, the intimate show kicked off with an equally dramatic soundtrack and a hundred pairs of industry eyes waited to see what the next generation of designers had to offer.

KITTY NG

The show began with Kitty Ng’s crochet couture. Sweeping out behind the model like a peacock’s plume the star piece juxtaposed the delicate material and structure with a bold and consuming train. Not that a peacock would be wearing wet-look trousers or a shredded paper headpiece. The rest of collection generally followed suit with variations on colour and length, including a marbled sea-green version we could imagine easing its way into plenty of wardrobes.

KA KUI CHENG

Cheng left us humming ‘God Save the Queen’. First on the catwalk were shorts and a jacket with our monarch looking pretty adorable in cartoon form. We were than transported to the US with sportswear featuring Marilyn Monroe, Paris had a pink fleur de lys pattern and the sad but sweet faces of Pandas on China’s joggers. A charming and fun theme, Cheng managed to retain a luxe edge, pairing the sportswear pieces with fully buttoned shirts under zip-up jackets.

EMMA FENTON VILLAR

Frayed perfection came from Emma Fenton Villar, not a single string was out of place. Bleached touches added a distressed feel to half of the line and other pieces like the denim mac with a metallic underside were sharper and smarter. The cool colour palette seemed like a futuristic uniform and thick white rubber boots teamed with slick side partings on the models created a clinical mood, the opposite of how we often consider denim, the focus material of the collection.

GEBEI HE

Earthy tones, oversized knits and loose culottes from Gebei He’s breathed an air of nature into the show. Simultaneously the fluidity of the lines made an alien shape on the models, accentuated in a grey knit which made the arms to appear to shoot straight out of the chest. Playing with the thickness and texture of the knits made pieces seem alive and flowing despite a slightly muted colour palette in comparison to other students.

YOUNG HWAN YANG

Tribal faces on neoprene jumpers with intimidating rounded shoulders were matched with layered skirts of leather strips like a far more chic take on everyone’s favourite piece of fancy dress – the hula skirt. It wasn’t quite beachwear but it felt like summer with saturated colours, shorts and leather fringe laced into white shoes that turned feet into flippers.

XUEFEI WANG

A different take on black tie, the stark contrast between creamy white and black added formality to the loose shapes in Wang’s work. From the high necklines to the models’ toes, hardly an inch of skin was on show. The sharpest of the group, Wang needed no embellishments to generate hype.

ROBERTO ANTONIO SLUSARZ FILHO

It’s hard to place Slusarz’s designs in a specific category or infer any particular influences, this tunic could be worn by Russian Tsars or Middle-Eastern princes. The tiger-stripe lightening slashes lined in neon seem to suggest that if you scratch the surface, beneath these traditional tapestry patterns the next generation is ready and waiting with shining embroidery. Colour block jackets with coloured lapels also seemed to hint at a cool, calm and collected outside and a party on the inside, waiting to burst out.

JASMINE HAOYAO DENG

Safari hats topped with mohicans completed looks made up of aztec sweaters with necks as high as tribal necklaces and loose crêpe de Chine trousers that were pyjama-esque in a wonderful way. The use of Adidas ‘Gazelles’ added to the sense of activity and adventure. The eye-catching use of colour is what stopped Deng’s collection from slipping into a bohemian zone and kept it young and fresh.

THIEN TRANG BUI

Icy blue and pale grey co-ords with floral overlays is as feminine as it sounds but Thien Trang Bui choice of simple shapes kept the pieces very much within the realms of menswear. Classic garments are softly and subtly nudged into luxury with the use of lace and silk but the unstructured tailoring adds wearability.

XIAOLI SU

Drapes and soft pleats wriggled in a hypnotic way as the models took Su’s work to the runway. With near ankle-drop trousers cocooning their legs the models seemed to float along and that redefinition of shape appeared to be the focus, with asymmetric lapels and barely-there collars as well as unconventional and awkward lengths.

JUN ZHOU

We must convince confess that when it comes to anything furry or fluffy, we’re like magpies and shiny things, so it’s not surprise Jun Zhou is one of our favourites from the whole show. Tactile and super-cute fluffy backpacks aside, the collection was simple, dynamic and confident in its use of bright colour. Oversized fits in thick and textured materials created bulked out silhouettes. The light shine on the yellow jacket made it seem like a chic and playful update of a classic fisherman’s mac.

NA LIU

Left with the considerable responsibility of closing the show, Na Lio brought us rosette headpieces and ghostly veils. A contrast between isolation and inclusion, some looks had a focal point, for example white gloves and handkerchiefs dangling from breast pockets, whilst others were all-consuming, such as navy blazers with no cuffs, just continuing into gloves – the first look of the line didn’t even have arms. It was a suitably dramatic and creative mood to end the show on as a final and lasting memory.

Photographer: Roger Dean

Words: Lily Walker

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RURI WATANABE

Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear

Have you always been interested in fashion, where did your love for it come from?

I have been dreaming to become a fashion designer since I was five. It stemmed from Disney World, Florida, I saw a fashion studio for Disney characters and since that moment I have aimed to be a designer. I wanted to be a designer for Mickey Mouse until I knew about the fashion industry! I have never changed my aim to be a fashion designer.

You’ve worked a lot with denim, why do you think denim is always so relevant in fashion?

Working with denim stemmed from research about a uniform that is a keepsake from my grandfather. It is very old, but not damaged at all and I like how denim is very strong material that changes the shapes depending on the owner. So even though there’s a mass production of denim products, it could be only one product for the owner. As a result, denim never becomes boring to wear.

Which designers inspire you the most?

I would like to point out someone I have met. I am inspired by the designer Daniel Roseberry who is a top designer for Thom Browne. He does both womenswear and menswear along with any designs that Browne wants. I think it is very hard to reply to the requests every time. However, he does that through visualising his idea with amazing drawings. I respect him as a fashion designer but I also admire his personality.

Legwarmer knitted by Hattie Buzzard. 

LAUREN PILGREEN

Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear

Where does your interest in fashion stem from? 

When I was four or five years old in a kids’ clothing store, I picked up the most expensive, ridiculous dress in there and threw a tantrum until my mother was forced to buy it for me out of sheer embarrassment. I started designing when I was thirteen but I’ve been interested in clothing for as long as I can remember. I think my interest came from the clothing that my mother and aunt dressed me in as a small child. The floral Doc Martens, shiny denim vests, frilly socks, and slogan tee shirts. Funky clothing and art was always a large part of my life therefore fashion was the natural path for me to pursue.

Where did the inspiration for your graduate collection come from?

Botched art restoration. The initial inspiration came from the restoration of “Ecce Homo”, a Jesus Christ Fresco in Spain, by an unprofessional woman in her eighties. She destroyed something of great history and sentimental value and replaced it by something she thought looked better than the water damage on the original painting. The idea is that the process of restoration (airbrushing) destroys the original identity yet it is a practice that is commonly accepted in advertising and the fashion industry today. The fear is that we will continue to retouch iconic art works and airbrush our image until our history and image no longer exists.

You seem to focus a lot on colour and deconstruction are these reoccurring themes for you, if not what are?

Colour is a new direction for me, one I’m quite pleased with. I often play with deconstruction because I like to show a visual thought process or transformation. Physical deconstruction highlights the importance of each fibre, detail, and the history behind an object. I think the impact of the message or process is stronger when you get to watch it develop and unravel before your eyes. Satire is a reoccurring theme for me too. I’ve recently started developing my political cartoons/defaced artwork into prints which is an avenue to be developed much further in the future.

What would your dream collaboration be?

Environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and fashion satirist and illustrator George Cruikshank! (But obviously that’s not possible for two of three). Or Moschino and illustrator James Gillray for political cartoon garments (again, highly unlikely). Or photographer Nobuyoshi Araki and Nicola Formichetti for an anti-advertising campaign. Maybe photographer Jan Saudek. Actually I’d love to collaborate with photojournalists to create social protest prints/large scale artwork. The World Press Photo archives is probably the most useful site on the internet.

Designed in collaboration with Fiona Barnes, headpiece by Nicole Paskauskas. 

 

YOUNA MIN

Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear

Have you always been interested in fashion since a young age? 

Yes, i was very interested in fashion from early childhood. I have acquired my sense of fashion from looking at my mom dressing up beautifully. 

Where did the inspiration for your graduate collection come from? 

The collection was inspired from 1970’s American gangsters and hipsters. 

What are the reoccurring themes in your work?

I had an interest in the Black American cultures of 1970’s. The items that they wear gave me ideas for designing. Baseball jumpers and pimp’s suits were great reference for the shape and texture.

How did you decide on the colour theme?

The colours came from the bold colours of baseball uniforms and gloves. The element of cross lines can be shown graphically with using black and white as the main colour.

CHARLOTTE MARY KNOWLES

Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear

How did you come to pursue the fashion path? 

As a child i loved painting, sculpting and working with materials – this love for making developed into an interest in fashion and textiles due to my grandmother’s influence. She owned a fashion boutique which was filled with beautiful designer clothing and magazines. Her, and her own sense of style, has always been an inspiration to me

Where did the inspiration for your graduate collection come from?

My main inspiration for my Final major project came from strong women; physicality and inner strength. My initial concept stemmed from renunciation and withdrawal from consumerism, initially looking at monastic culture and dress – but it really evolved from there. I was looking at cycling cultures in cities all over the world that reject aspects of modern day life, predominantly in New York and Toronto where bike messengering and cycling are prevalent. I studied the women bike couriers and tried to design from their life styles and found textural inspiration from their bikes and metal wear. This, I combined with my own vision of elegance and drama. 

Talk me through the process applying pins to wool as we see in your work, where did this concept come from?

I was inspired by the metal wear prevalent in cycling culture; frames and spokes, keys, chains, bike locks, studs, bolts and so on. I also found inspiration in the metal wear that hangs from the messenger bag straps on the couriers. My prints were inspired by bike tread markings. I wanted to replicate this somehow, but create my own interpretation of it. Each pattern piece with the textiles on it has a bike tread print placement – the prints are formed with 1mm (in diameter) holes cut out on the laser cutter – after cut, the pins are pushed through. I found that by creating these dense patterns, a dramatic, almost fluid effect was created, and although the graphic pattern is perhaps lost a bit within the pins, it still shows through subtly and reflects light beautifully.

MARTA CESARO

Where did your interest in fashion stem from?

It was definitely related to my passion for drawing and illustration and then it developed into fashion.

What made you decide to work with bespoke tailoring?

I have always had an interest in haute couture, but I wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted to do. I thought that taking that as a first step, I could then learn how to construct and sew garments in a fine way. I thought bespoke tailoring would offer me that knowledge.

Where did the inspiration for your graduate collection come from?

It started with the Sophia Coppola movie Lost in Translation and developed into the investigation and discovery of the different layers of reality and the many perspectives that an individual can use to look at things.

Which designers inspire you the most?

I really admire Phoebe Philo’s work and her ability to redefine modern in every collection through her use of fabric and design of details.

SOFIA MARIA LLMONEN

Fashion Design Technology: Womenswear

Have you always been interested in fashion, where did your love for it come from?  

When I was young my mum used to make clothes for my siblings and I. I was fascinated how a piece of a flat fabric can turn into a wearable shape. And so I started to make my own clothes and get interested in fashion.

Where did the inspiration for your graduate collection come from?

The inspiration came from the idea of verisimilitude in photography and how people can create image of them selves through a photo. I’m fascinated about the fact how different realities can be created though images; beautiful can be seen in ruins and vice versa.

What are the reoccurring themes in your work?

My themes are quite a mix of sources as my research just took me into different places. I looked into some old photo books, imaginary of ’50s style and adverts, and notice boards which were organically ripped. The latter came to play a big part in my work as I used ripping and tearing to create collages that gave me ideas for silhouettes and shapes.

 

HARRY HARVEY

Fashion Textiles

How did fashion come into your life?

I have always liked clothes and this probably comes from living with my mum and gran who are both very fashionable. I was about 12 and my mum took me to the Zandra Rhodes exhibition at the fashion and textile museum and thats when I thought I want to do this when i grow up!

Where did the inspiration for your graduate collection come from?

My inspiration was my mum! The collection was based around being an only child and how that has made our relationship stronger and closer. My colours came from her pink lipstick and purple hair as well as her clothing and jewellery.

Your work has this amazing raw hand-made quality to it, is this something you use as a reoccurring theme?

Sort of. Im not a messy person but my work does have a very sketchy, rough feel to it. Its always had this!! I think this comes from experimenting and playing around with different mediums. A lot of my textile work is done by hand and this naturally has a raw quality to it.

There is also a lot of detail in your work, how do you begin the design process?

I aways start by drawing. I love drawing! I then paint, photograph and scan images and eventually they turn into textiles. I love hand sewing and beading, this is almost like drawing for me.

What would your dream collaboration be?

I would love to work with a band or musician and create pieces for them to wear on stage. I like creating pieces that are fun and maybe not so practical!

See more on the LCF fashion live stream.

 

Creative Direction: Rob Phillips

Photography: James Rees

Beauty: Melissa Wong

 

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Arguably the most influential fashion designer of all time, Coco Chanel revolutionised the way women wore clothes and paved a new way for the fashion brand, capitalising on the changing times she was living in and her status as a fashion icon. With The London College of Fashion opening an exhibition of portraits of the designer painted by her friend and artist Marion Pike on tomorrow, Wonderland looks back on seven ways the designer changed the course of fashion history.

1. Trousers For Women

Although during the war women often had to wear trousers when working in traditionally male jobs, Chanel played a huge part in accelerating their popularity as a fashion item. While at the society beach resort of Deauville she chose to wear sailor’s pants instead of a swimming costume to avoid exposing herself, and the style spread quickly as her legions of followers emulated her. In the end, the designer regretted how her careless decision affected the course of fashion history. Aged 86 she said: “I came up with them by modesty.  From this usage to it becoming a fashion, having 70% of women wearing trousers at evening dinner is quite sad.”

2. Suntan

At the start of the 20th century, pale was in— skin that was in any way brown was associated with the lower classes. In 1923 Chanel made suntan a covetable fashion accessory when she accidently got sunburned while on a cruise on the French Riviera. On her return to Paris, her peers greatly admired her dark glow and quickly followed suit. The tan became a sign of wealth and beauty, a trend that has had lasting effects. By default, you could say we have her to thank for sun beds, streaky fake tan and orange hands too.

3. Jersey

Chanel was the first designer to use jersey, which at the time was reserved for men’s underwear. Simple, practical and comfortable, the fabric was the complete antithesis of what women’s clothing had previously been: flashy, excessive and based around an uncomfortable corset. This choice of material was also one of necessity: the war had resulted in a short supply of more expensive fabric, and early in her career it was an affordable option to buy in bulk.

4. Branded Perfume

In 1921 Chanel No. 5 was launched, the first scent that smelt deliberately artificial. It was made of unnatural ingredients, unlike the standard perfumes of the day, which were created with floral components. Although Paul Poiret was the first fashion house with its own scent, the designer missed a trick by declining to put his name on the bottle. Chanel ingeniously put hers on No.5, spreading the brand to a whole new market. Fast forward 90 years later and most major fashion labels worth their salt have their own scent, with perfume profits often exceeding those of the apparel.

5. Costume Jewellery

Again it was Paul Poiret who first used costume jewellery in his collections, but when Chanel introduced fake large pearls and glittering gemstones the trend really began to take off. Combining the real with the fake, the extravagant bling was the perfect accompaniment to her minimalist clothes. The designer thought it best to have a pile of imitation jewels then to stick to one or two expensive real ones, and her wealthy customers agreed. Although there was a market for fake jewellery previously, it was reserved for those who couldn’t afford the real deal.

6. The Little Black Dress

It’s hard to imagine a world without black as a foolproof outfit colour choice, but before Chanel the colour was reserved for funerals and widows in mourning. The fashionable reds, green and electric blues that her peers dressed in made the designer “feel ill.” “These colours are impossible,” she declared. “These women, I’m bloody well going to dress them in black!” In 1926, Vogue published a sketch of her calf-length simple black sheath and labelled it a “frock that all the world would wear”. A wardrobe staple was born.

7. The Chanel Suit

The designer was one of the first to borrow from menswear for women’s attire when she created her iconic suits. Consisting of a collarless boxy wool jacket with braid trim, fitted sleeves and metallic embellished buttons with accompanying slimline skirt, the outfit was the perfect choice for the post-war woman who was trying to build a career in the male-dominated workplace. The suit was favoured by celebrities like Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, and made its mark on history when Jackie Kennedy wore it on the day her husband was assassinated.

The ‘Coco Chanel: A New Portrait by Marion Pike, Paris 1967-1971’ exhibition opens tomorrow at the LCF Fashion Space Gallery.

Words: Eleanor Dunne (follow Eleanor on Twitter @eleanordun1)

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Hands up anybody who thinks that 3D printing is, well, kind of magic. We’re still baffled when the office printer gets a paper jam – so the idea of hitting ‘print’ on a new pair of Louboutins seems nothing short of miraculous.

This is where Layer By Layer steps in. The new exhibition at Fashion Space Gallery in London College of Fashion seeks to demystify the digital technology and demonstrates how fashion designers have utilised it in their work.

As co-curator Leanna Wierzba notes, “Designers using 3D printing are really trailblazers. Many of the pieces in the exhibition have been developed as prototypes and very few are wearable.”

The process itself isn’t actually that difficult to grasp. Desktop printers like the Makerbot (one is on show at the gallery) have an open-frame design, which allows viewers to see an object being successively printed out in thin layers of plastic. The result? An astonishing array of design objects – from the skull-inspired Biomimicry shoes by Marieka Ratsma and Kostika Spaho to the graceful curves of Ron Arad’s pq eyewear.

Wierzba believes that 3D printing will eventually offer an excellent alternative to fast, disposable fashion. “Instead of speculatively producing huge quantities of items at a very real cost to the environment, items can be made on demand and adapted easily to suite a new trend,” she enthuses. “A system like iTunes will probably be developed, whereby a user is able to access a file to print for a limited time or quantity.”

She points to design companies like Nervous System, who already make 3D printed jewellery to demand. “A customer can customise their own jewellery from one of their collections on the website using a special app,” Wierzba explains. “Each object is then printed out individually based on these specifications. Because their jewellery is not factory manufactured in mass quantities or crafted by hand, it’s sustainable and reasonably affordable.”

For those who fancy a go on their own, there’s already a huge market for 3D home printers, which can be purchased for under £2000 (already cheaper than when the first desktop printer was introduced ). Sites like Thingiverse already sell files that let users create anything from iPhone covers to toy helicopters.

“It’s already completely possible – and inexpensive – to print a variety of different objects at home,” Wierzba says. “There are currently a lot of free 3D files available online, created by people for the joy of exploring this medium.”

Hold your horses, though – while you can print on materials like ceramic, nylon, wax and titanium and readily apply the final product to jewellery or shoes, it’s much tougher to print on fabric (Wierzba doesn’t rule that out in the near future, with the development of new multi-material printers that can use both hard and soft materials).

And you won’t get away with printing a rip-off Burberry handbag anytime soon, either. “There’s a lot of work being done to develop a methodology for copywriting 3D designs – larger brands and serious designers will create clever ways of protecting their work,” Wierza says. “But it is incredibly hard to predict how and how fast this technology will develop.”

Even if we’re a long way off printing next season Céline, Layer By Layer is a must for anybody interested in fashion’s next incarnation – it’s an intriguing glimpse into the future of the industry. An iTunes directory of clothes? Custom-made app fashion? Photopolymer shoes? Beam us up.

Layer by Layer at the Fashion Space Gallery, London College of Fashion is curated by Leanne Wierzba and Gemma Williams. The exhibition will run from 10th April to 18th May. www.fashionspacegallery.com

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