Above: Alan Crocetti SS15 at Fashion East Men’s Presentations June 2014

Like the sparks that ascend on the poke of a burning log, the talents that rise yearly out of Fashion East prosper with encouragement. It doesn’t take much – just tearing up the rulebook and stripping these young London designers from the constrains of the traditional fashion show format, allowing them the creative freedom to show their collection how they see fit, interacting with guests as they go. Reel off a list of London designers worth paying attention to – Christopher Shannon, Astrid Andersen, Craig Green, Martine Rose – and inevitably you’ll draw back to their involvement in the Lulu Kennedy-founded emerging fashion platform as a common denominator. Last season we saw Rose in her third and final incarnation staging a lone model draped in XXL track pants and heavy leather. Surrounded by S&M pamphlets discarded haphazardly on the floor, it was unconventional and unsettling. Forget fifty plus looks – this stuff has impact.

Fashion East has announced its line-up and events schedule for the FW15 season, headlined by London-trained, Los Angeles native Shaun Samson’s salon show. This one will be hotly anticipated – the designer returned to Los Angeles following his three successive MAN shows and New Gen Men sponsored solo outings at LC:M  – FW15 marks his return to the catwalk.

At the group show, we’ll see second season returns by jewellery designer Alan Crocetti (who was responsible for those menacing metal mouth contraptions at Bobby Abley FW14), fabric specialist Edward Crutchley (who spends the rest of his time as textile consultant for Louis Vuitton) and Roxanne Farahmand, backed up by CSM-fresh newcomer Grace Wales Bonner and the seasoned Marques’Almeida who will present for the third time.

An electric line up at one of the most exciting young talent showcases in the world. Stay tuned here.