Contemplating Britishness With the Future of London Fashion
This article is part of Not In London, a multi-media celebration of the English cultural capital. With parties, a pop-up store, brand collaborations, and more, check it out here.
“What does Britishness mean to you?”
This is the question we asked the next generation of fashion designers, studying at Central Saint Martins, University of The Arts London. And, being fashion students, we asked for their response to come in the form of clothing.
Guided by a series of lectures by Ellis Gilbert, founder of London-based label Talk Nice, each entry explored the nuances of British culture through custom-made graphics.
The winners of the competition — Avaro Azkue, Macy Grimshaw, and Luca Fabry — selected by Gilbert and Highsnobiety’s design team, will see their designs released as part of Not In London, a multi-faceted project celebrating the city.
We sat down with the three designers to learn more about them and their British-themed designs, dissecting everything from English supermarkets to the tube system.
Alvaro Azkue Telleria
What made you want to study fashion?
Being contrary to my mum.
Tell me about your design for the competition
The idea was to mix two elements from very different worlds, the porcelain
figure as a delicate and idealized image of Britain’s past, in contrast with the Tesco shopping bag, an ordinary and very familiar element from contemporary UK. My intention was to make fun of the idealized and often glorified idea of Britishness.
How do you envision the future of fashion?
Less ego, more compassion.
Macy Grimshaw
Tell me about your design for the competition
I’m half British, but no one who’s ever met me has guessed that correctly. Instead, they usually ask if I’m from the States, thanks to my strange blend of English, American, and French accents that seem to change depending on the moment. ‘I’m not that British’ is a phrase I often find myself saying in London when explaining my third-culture kid background to someone new, because, truthfully, I don’t always feel that British. But there’s something about the London I live in — it has a certain vibe, an aroma, that feels unmistakably British.
I immediately associate Britishness with a sense of propriety, particularly when it comes to table manners. If I were seated at a fine dining restaurant with a full cutlery setting, I’d be at a loss as to where to begin. But I can expertly use chopsticks because of my upbringing in Hong Kong. I thought this contrast — paired with a greasy piece of cod from the local chippy stabbed with chopsticks, served on elegant porcelain — perfectly captured the feeling of 'I’m not that British.’"
I feel like I encounter chips on the streets of London more often than I actually eat them. This got me thinking about the idea of a still life that reimagines the city's streets, filled with iconic symbols of Britishness: a jammy dodger, a newspaper article mentioning [Queen] Camilla, and some chips and ketchup of course. I was also inspired by the trompe-l'œil letter rack paintings I saw at the Trompe L’Oeil exhibit at the Musée Marmottan Monet. I decided to combine these contrasting ideas to create a letter rack painting that captures the essence of London’s streets.
What's your favorite and least favorite thing about fashion right now?
I understand that fashion, by its nature, operates in cycles, with designs from past generations influencing those of today. But what I don’t get is the point of creating designs that are so similar to each other. Yes, I know that’s what trends are, and that’s what drives the fashion system, but trends aren’t sustainable. Why create something that’s already been done? It feels wasteful, especially considering the finite nature of materials. If you're going to create, make something truly original — something that hasn’t been seen before, something that challenges perspectives or sparks change. That way, it has a purpose, rather than just being another fleeting trend that fades out of style in a matter of minutes.
I love the community within fashion — the people I’ve met and the ones I’ve yet to meet, but who’ve been incredibly supportive online. I feel like fashion is becoming a safer space to fully express yourself, especially as a young designer. Platforms like UpNextDesigner and Outlander are creating more support and a sense of community than ever before, and I think that’s empowering.
How do you envision the future of fashion?
If it continues at the current pace, it’s quite a daunting prospect — especially when you think about the rapid cycles of trends and the incredibly short lifespan of fast fashion garments. It almost feels like we’re revisiting the 'flash trends' of the 60s, like the disposable paper dresses, but this time with actual clothing.
Luca Fabry
Tell me about your design for the competition? What were the inspirations and the process of designing it?
This project was my first time working with graphics and print. I approached the brief quite naively, knowing I wanted to create something simple yet recognizable. At the time, I was also looking at vintage marathon T-shirts, and when given the theme of "Britishness and multiculturalism," I saw a connection between my daily Tube commute and a marathon. London moves at a fast pace, with everyone rushing from A to B, and the Tube feels like a unifying space where people from all backgrounds come together, moving in the same direction.
What's your favorite and least favorite thing about fashion right now?
The fast pace.
What are your design aspirations?
I would like to bring back an understanding and appreciation for construction and fabrication. Today, everything has to be fast and cheap. I find the concept of mass production both scary and fascinating. There’s something interesting about exploring unconventional methods of garment construction while still making them fit within our industrialized production system.
