W: Joshua Taylor
DATE: 13th June 2025. PLACE: Ambika P3 TIME: 18.30
The annual University of Westminster BA (Hons) Fashion Design runway has long been a bellwether for the future of the global fashion industry. Once again, the 2025 cohort has proven why this course remains a powerhouse for scouting raw talent, showcasing a dynamic mix of collections that refuse to be pigeonholed. This year’s graduates presented a vision that was as diverse as it was innovative, ranging from the unapologetically eccentric to the subtly covetable.
The menswear category was particularly striking for its ability to balance high-concept storytelling with masterful construction. Lily Rose Murphy delivered one of the evening’s most evocative collections, drawing on her family’s deep-rooted ties to the Royal British Navy. By reimagining classic maritime uniform elements through a bold, modern lens, Murphy successfully bridged the gap between rigid naval discipline and contemporary flair.
In a sharp turn toward pop-culture nostalgia, Azeika Nelson brought a sense of playfulness to the runway. Her collection featured a witty fusion of 1960s silhouettes and 1970s vintage football culture, complete with ornate rosettes. This stood in stark contrast to the work of Kate Bigwood, whose leather-clad models strode out with a cinematic, industrial edge. Looking like high-fashion extras from The Matrix, Bigwood’s pieces emphasized structure, gloss, and a formidable urban silhouette.
The exploration of form continued with Misa Ricchiuti and Elliot Kinney, who sat at opposite ends of the aesthetic spectrum. Ricchiuti offered a masterclass in delicacy, presenting layered, feminine pieces that felt ethereal and light. Conversely, Kinney leaned into the outlandish, utilizing printed body-con designs to challenge traditional masculine proportions. Rounding out the standout presentations was Nicholas Yip, whose menswear felt both fierce and meticulously controlled, proving that decorative complexity can still carry an air of modern authority.
Ultimately, the Class of 2025 has signalled that the future of fashion lies in a blend of personal heritage and technical subversion. By blending these individual styles with such confidence, Westminster continues to produce creative designers of the highest calibre, ready to leave an indelible mark on the international stage.
Paris Otuyelu
Paris Otuyelu
Paris Otuyelu
KJ Tantivachyanon
KJ Tantivachyanon
KJ Tantivachyanon
Misa Ricchiuti:
Collection: Sii Uomo (Be a man)
Exploring a personal vision of masculinity and challenging the traditional ideals ofvirility rooted in his home city of Milan, designer Misa Ricchiuti creates bold, expressive menswear. His collection, Sii Uomo (Be a man) employs draping and clever cutting to play with structure and volume, investigating possibilities that reflect new masculinity. Rejecting traditional machismo and transcending gender norms, Misa’s statement reflects both strength and sensitivity. Inspired by Italian Rationalist architecture and juxtaposed with references taken from various Italian women artists, Misa creates a visual and dynamic dialogue between stereotypes of male and female. The collection investigates the push and pull of tradition versus innovation with the use of an opposing and often surprising mix of materials-beautiful soft leathers are contrasted with modern, technical fabrics found in performance sportwear. Colour veers from subtle tones of grey and ink and is punctuated with a striking, bold red. Exciting prints add further energy to the often asymmetric, complex looks.
Misa Ricchiuti
Misa Ricchiuti
Misa Ricchiuti
Anruo Gao
Anruo Gao
Anruo Gao
Kate Bigwood
Kate Bigwood
Kate Bigwood
Angelika Deopante.
In a playful homage to her Filipino heritage and her parent’s wedding in Camden Town, designer Angelika Deopante creates an exuberant and whimsical celebration of femininity. Referencing 50’s wedding ternos with their distinctive ‘butterfly sleeves’ alongside the lush flora of the Philippines, Angelika translates traditional motifs into extravagant shapes and patterns. Creating her own ‘lace’ from her flower drawings of Waling Waling orchids and the Jade vine, she utilises deep saturated colour, dyeing, printing and laser cutting to create inventive and complex surfaces and silhouettes. Vibrant shades of startling pink and jade green are used throughout. Texture and multi-layered surfaces are exhaustively experimental. Leather has been cut and manipulated, lace double-fused and Moiré is overprinted to create surprising, and exciting new materials for this joyful, expressive statement.
Collection: “Milk, Blood and Lipstick”
Angelika Deopante.
Angelika Deopante.
Angelika Deopante.
Xiaoting Chen
Xiaoting Chen
Xiaoting Chen
Azeika Nelson
Collection: “Echoes of Affection”
The fragmented narrative and melancholic colour of the 1968 film Je t’ Aime, Je t’ Aime directed by Alain Resnais, has inspired designer Azeika Nelson to translate this mood as a base for herd distinctive menswear collection. Traces of time, memory and emotion are central to her theme–reflected in her pieced-together patchwork textiles. Rich textures are created with laser-etched surfaces of cowhide and corduroy. Intrigued by the traditions of vintage English football rosettes, Azeikain corporates these symbols of triumph and heartbreak into her silhouettes for an eclectic and singular statement. Soft focus, vintage layers are contrasted with bolder looks that utilise repetitive check patterns to represent time-honoured symbols of identity. Sustainability is central with many pieces being created using patchwork and offcuts to great effect for these wearable narratives.
Azeika Nelson
Azeika Nelson
Azeika Nelson
James Rowland
James Rowland
James Rowland
Lily Rose Murphy
Fair winds and following seas. This striking menswear collection by Lily Rose Murphy is inspired by her family’s deep- rooted ties to the Royal British Navy. Drawing on naval discipline and tradition, the collection reimagines classic maritime uniform elements through a bold, modern lens. It balances lens, clean, structural tailoring with unexpected volumes and inventive detailing. Exaggerated silhouettes, graphic flag motifs, and layered textures are key features while sharply tailored sailor trousers echo the rugged resilience of life at sea, A jacket is constructed from a repurposed 1980s sail – it’s worn, weather-beaten surface telling stories of past voyages. The sail is also utilised in accessories, reinforcing a theme of transformation and storytelling through materials.
Sustainability remains an anchor throughout. Deadstock fabrics are thoughtfully selected, using creative ingenuity for environmental responsibility. Playful details, such as oversized toggle closures and nautical signal prints, inject humour into the narrative while the craftsmanship reflects technical precision and emotional depth. Investigating heritage and innovation, structure and softness, this collection is both a tribute to the past and a conversation with the present.
Collection: Fair Winds & Following Seas.
Lily Rose Murphy
Lily Rose Murphy
Lily Rose Murphy
