Bright young things

If ever I needed proof that the fashion industry is awash with young talent and creativity, then last Thursday I found it.

Last week, the London College of Fashion hosted In The Parallel, a catwalk show exhibiting the works of its MA fashion students, followed by an awards ceremony presented by Jaeger boss Harold Tillman.

It featured 22 collections, all completely different from each other, and the front row couldn't keep its eyes off any of them. In fact, the event was so popular that it couldn't seat everyone. It took my editor and I a good half hour to muscle our way in, despite having seats, but we did it in the end.

Some collections were typically outlandish, with one made from human hair. Another looked like it was a range of long, stretched pyjamas. But on the whole, the collections were inspiring, beautiful, and unique. What was particularly exciting was the commerciality of the ranges.

The dresses across many of the collections were the highlight for me. No wonder the event attracted the likes of former Topshop brand director Jane Shepherdson and buyers and designers from Burberry, Selfridges, Topshop, Browns, Matthew Williamson, Matches and Alberta Ferretti, all hurriedly scribbling notes during the show. Let the battle to snap up these designers commence.