Picture: Stuart C. Wilson/Getty
A choir of 100 singers in hard hats and hi-vis jackets helped give London Fashion Week a moving finale yesterday.
The London Gay Men's Chorus closed Anya Hindmarch's show on the fifth and final day of proceedings, after a collection inspired by the accessory designer’s unlikely love for a motorway.
She said: "There's something about being on the M25 with a clear road and the combination of lights, reflective surfaces and your favourite piece of music that can put you in a wonderful driving trance."
She recreated this for the fashion week crowds with a panel of flashing warning lights behind a black motorway-inspired catwalk.
Anya Hindmarch at London Fashion Week
Hindmarch has form when it comes to giving mundane aspects of life a luxurious twist. Today this meant tote bags trimmed with Magic Tree tassels, clutch bags with go-faster chevrons and a host of Little Chef shoulder bags.
The designer, who has previously collaborated with cereal brand Kellogg's to fashion a cornflakes clutch bag, also unveiled a Kit Kat pencil case and a Polo mint pouch.
Hindmarch's international business already has 50 stores worldwide. Today she set out plans for further domination by adding a knitwear category, as well as coats and fur accessories.
Quilted jackets detailed with playful hard shoulder and security camera motifs were displayed alongside oversized knits emblazoned with slogans such as "expect severe delays".
While Hindmarch is a serious businesswoman with a shrewd knowledge of how to succeed, she is also a designer who refuses to take fashion too seriously. It is this that makes her the British accessory world's driving force.
