Independent Fashion, Up Close

Inside London Fashion Day, the value of proximity, and a conversation with Ukrainian label Mur Mur.

London Fashion Day positions itself as a platform for new talent “empowering emerging and independent designers by offering them a global stage to showcase their collections”. The seventh edition, held in early May, brought together twelve designers whose work reflected the breadth and values of contemporary independent fashion.

What I like about events like this, and what makes them compelling, is the proximity they offer. These collections sit closer to the source - you can see the designer’s fingerprints on every seam: their heritage, personality, obsessions. When a brand is small, the collection feels like an extension of the designer’s identity, largely unfiltered by the commercial expectations that inevitably shape larger houses. You see decisions that haven’t been softened by committees or trend forecasts.

That’s not to say major brands don’t retain the DNA of their founders. Vivienne Westwood’s defiance and Schiaparelli’s surrealism remain unmistakable, sustained and refined across decades. That kind of longevity, maintaining a clear identity while operating at scale, is its own achievement. Emerging designers, however, work in a different register. Their ideas can feel more immediate, sometimes even uncompromising, precisely because they exist so close to their origin.

That closeness to the process has also begun to shape how I think about my own wardrobe. In recent months I’ve become more conscious of the materials I choose to wear, gravitating toward natural fibres and resisting the ubiquitous synthetics which line the racks and shelves of high-street shops. So when Sofi Rich’s collection in collaboration with Malusha bags floated down the runway in pastel silks, I was immediately drawn in. Silk just moves differently, with a quiet, liquid elegance. The pieces invited a kind of indulgent fantasy, where I imagined myself being draped in them walking down my grand staircase in my imaginary home.

I want the entire collection.

And while the industry whispers that the era of the micro‑bag is over (farewell to the tiny talismans of the Jacquemus generation), Malusha proposed an intriguing alternative: double-stacked bags linked by a chain aptly named the Gemini. I’d be interested to see whether this idea gains traction, or whether it remains one that lives on the runway.

One of the evening’s most striking collections came from Ukrainian label Mur Mur whose work sits at the intersection of sensual minimalism and confident femininity. Their approach is less about trend and more about feeling - what they describe as “quiet power wrapped in sensual silhouettes”.

At London Fashion Day, the collection was built around a simple but resonant idea: “I want women to shine.” Not in a literal sense, but through an inner radiance, confidence without ostentation, sexuality without excess.

Visually, the collection unfolded as a dialogue between two worlds. On one hand, shimmering dresses covered in sequins and voluminous textures caught and reflected light with every movement, think Studio 54: minimal colour, maximal surface, gloss and glamour. The fifth look, a sheer beige sequin dress, carried a cinematic sensuality reminiscent of Charlize Theron in the Chanel No. 5 campaign. On the other, more restrained looks focused on precision: all black, clean silhouettes, strong shoulders, and exposed lines of the body.

It’s this contrast that made the collection feel particularly contemporary. Rather than presenting a single, fixed idea, Mur Mur explored different facets of the same woman: she could be radiant and dramatic in one moment, then pared back and almost silent in the next, without losing any sense of presence. As the designers describe it, the collection wasn’t about dressing for a specific occasion, but revealing a character in full: complex, self-assured, and uninterested in permission.