Shining light: British designer puts fitness first at London Fashion Week

London – British fashion designer Richard Nicoll collaborated with sportswear retailer Sweaty Betty for the brand’s spring/summer 2015 collection, on show at London Fashion Week.

‘The collection presents the notion of slowing down and embracing calm, fitness and work-life balance in the modern world,’ explains Nicoll.

In a late 1990s, early Millennial aesthetic, pieces combined the practicality of performance wear with the desirability of high fashion. Parkers, sports bras and leggings were to be expected, but these mixed comfortably with super-feminine drape and A-line dresses. A calming colour palette featured soft hues of peach, lilac and cucumber green, all with a shimmery dusting.

Innovative textiles were employed throughout, but it was the show’s magical beginning, with pieces inspired by Disney’s Tinkerbell, that grabbed the audience’s attention. Made from a fibreoptic material in collaboration with technology company Studio XO, garments produced a soft glow, lighting up the catwalk.

Other decorative touches included earphones in solid silver, providing a sense of fun for jewellery, while iridescent sandals offered an alternative to last season’s trainer craze.

For more on how consumers are becoming increasingly interested in personal fitness and health, read our Body Temples macrotrend. For more information on Studio XO read our Techno-Fashion Inform feature.