Glasgow Style's Better

OLANIC

Chances are, you've probably worn an Olanic original without knowing it. As a freelance designer for Schuh, Olanic's Niki Taylor already has designs selling on the high street, but it's her stunning mainline collection that has grabbed copious column inches in the fashion press. A graduate of Heriot-Watt's School of Textiles & Design, Niki's dynamic prints and streamlined silhouettes have shown at LFW since 2005, but this season marks her first catwalk show. “My collection is inspired by the British
weather,” she explains: “I'm collaborating with Mackintosh on rainwear, and I'm introducing accessories for the first time, which is exciting.”

Named 'one to watch' by the Times, and generating substantial buzz in anticipation of this must-see collection, Olanic has been a recurring name within the recent Scottish fashion fever. But Niki's unmistakable talent is multi-discipline, with upcoming collaborations with filmmakers, musicians, and other designers keeping her busy well after Fashion Week. “People have said, 'Is there something in the water up there? What is it that's making you all so creative?' she grins. “But Scotland has always been known for its inventors, so maybe there is something working out there that we're just not aware of.”

DERYCK WALKER

“What's great about all this is for people to know there are designers working here, and it's not just some fashion student making t-shirts in a backstreet warehouse,” remarks Deryck Walker, “It's significant, international designers.” Deryck is one such designer himself, who, after honing his craft working for Versace and Robert Cary-Williams amongst others, has come home to Glasgow with his now formidable
reputation for razor-sharp tailoring. Best known for his menswear, Deryck's LFW will centre around a showcase in conjunction with Saville Row-based Scottish textiles firm, Holland & Sherry. “I'm doing a stand-alone day in Saville Row, to let buyers come and feel the clothes. It'll let them see the detail, rather than just watch it go by on a runway.” Already gearing up for a key role in the relaunch of Harris Tweed, Deryck's doubtlessly bright future will be subject to plotting during LFW by a high profile mentor: Mary 'Queen of Shops' Portas. “Mary and her team look after me, so I'll be doing a couple of days with them when I'm in London,” Deryck grins, “She's like my svengali.”

JAMIE BRUSKI TETSILL

“Last London Fashion Week, I don't think I was as organised as I am for this one,” says Jamie Bruski Tetsill, “I'm going down prepared this time.” Only in his second LFW as a graduate, Jamie's upcoming showroom is to be a direct application of that first class Honours degree in Textiles, with a directional dresses-only collection. “It's quite wacky, modern, geometric prints on classic, fitted shapes. It's all about the
colour and the print.” Picked out during his degree show by Christopher Kane, and during the last LFW by multiple Vogue journalists, as 'one to watch', Jamie's chic, progressive aesthetic has guaranteed him a wealth of coverage, and an eager audience for his imminently high profile career. So, what's it like to be at the centre of the hype hurricane? “It is really funny to be able to Google yourself and get hits back with people talking about you in Japan,” says Jamie, “That is quite bizarre,
I must admit”

BEBAROQUE

Truth be told, you'd be hard-pushed to find a more self-effacing pair of Scottish Fashion Award winners than Bebaroque's Mhairi McNicol and Chloe Patience. “It was surreal, really a shock,” says Mhairi, speaking from Bebaroque's studio. “At one point, Chloe wanted to go and check her makeup in case we won, and I was like, 'For God's sake – we're not going to win!” But win they did, and it seems the surreal has done nothing but escalate for the 2008 Scottish Accessory Designers of the Year - by way of a major national stockist in ASOS.com, and more than a few dealings with the ladies at Vogue. “They've already got ten pairs of our tights sitting in their wardrobe dept,” explains Mhairi, “and they also requested a pair to use on November's front cover.” In this, their first LFW with the Design Collective, Glasgow School of Art graduates Bebaroque will take their hand-embroidered, exquisitely printed hosiery to the tents where they'll inevitably gain some new fans – and then presumably come straight home. “I think everyone should have a shot down in London, because it's great,” says Mhairi, “But our main aim is to be successful and stay at home. We love it too much here.”

ALSO SHOWING

Add in the other four designers showing under the Glasgow: Scotland with Style Design Collective umbrella, and you've got a formidable, eight-strong roster of the very best in Scottish design talent. As one of the most established and internationally lauded members of the Design Collective, Glasgow-born Aimee McWilliams' shows are consistently amongst the hottest tickets during Fashion Week. A perpetual innovator, Aimee's collections never disappoint, incorporating luxe fabrics and modern silhouettes within truly aspirational garments. An ever-rising Scottish player on the international fashion stage, we can't wait to see what Aimee comes up with this season.

Similarly anticipated is Scottish Young Designer of the Year, Graeme Armour's catwalk collection. Having worked at Alexander McQueen's right hand as a graduate, Graeme has been steadily building his own brand over the past few years, and will show at LFW this season as one of the most experienced members of the Design Collective. The Glaswegian-born, Central St Martins graduate's label has become synonymous with chic, sleek design, and inventive experiments in organzas and silk.

Despite being a relatively young brand, Vidler & Nixon - the dynamite combination of Glaswegian Kerry Nixon and Aussie-born Stefan Vidler – have already established themselves as one of the hottest new labels currently gracing the fashion glossies. Their impeccably pleated outerwear has already made it on to Sienna Miller's back amongst others, and their reputation for elegant, vintage-inspired structure makes them an always exciting prospect for Fashion Week.

Nothing short of a knitwear architect, LFW first timer Alice Palmer is swiftly developing an unparalleled reputation for cutting edge techniques and creative constructive solutions. A textiles graduate from Glasgow School of Art, Alice won the 2007 Textprint Knit award, and even showcased as an inventor at the Glasgow Science Centre, displaying her original silk & wire-based knit fabric. Luxurious yet wearable, Alice's garments are bound to turn a few influential heads come Fashion Week.