JUN 23rd, 2025
CSM Class of 2025
VOL. 011
Written and published in collaboration with ‘Not Just A Label’ - Read this article online here
In June, the iconic Central Saint Martins BA fashion show took place, showcasing the industry’s trailblazers and up-and-coming designers. This highly anticipated and captivating show highlighted the magnificent final collections created by Central Saint Martins talented class of 2025, and announced the winner of the L’Oréal Professionnel Young Talent Award, Myah Hasbany.
Not Just a Label stepped backstage and got chatting with some of the fantastic designers and creators behind the looks we saw on the catwalk. We got an inside look behind-the-scenes of the iconic fashion show, experiencing the chaos, planning, and attention-to-detail that goes into putting together a collection ready for the runway. Through getting to know the designers backstage, we learned all about the stories and journeys behind their work.
Opening the fashion show, Womenswear student Isobel Dickens showcases a collection of playful garments that tell a story of nostalgia and change, reflecting the innocence and fondness of childhood memories. The collection is inspired by Isobel’s upbringing in Thanet, where they moved away from when they were 10 years old. The area has changed a lot since Isobel moved away, and her work is influenced by this emotional feeling of evolving spaces and locations that have shifted from how they appear in memory.
She has captured this by creating pieces that visually represent the sentimentality of youth and feeling homesick for a place that no longer exists. In her garments, Isobel has utilized found objects that washed up on the beach, alongside materials reminiscent of their own childhood. These include pipe cleaners, paper cutouts, cardboard, and stickers. Isobel’s designs are inspired by her own childhood drawings, resulting in exaggerated shapes, maximalist silhouettes, and bold, primary colours.
Presenting a fabulously feminine showcase of knitwear pieces, Daisy Knight’s collectio ‘Women in Stem’ is inspired by the female spaces in which she grew up - in particular, her mother’s nail salon. Daisy describes her work as ‘girly, ditsy, sensual, and powerful’, defining her compilation of bright pink jellyfish-esque garments as ‘an exaggerated female performance’.
Daisy’s garments are made of elastic and hand-dyed cotton, which she has crocheted to resemble hair, inspired by her mother and as a further nod to femininity. Her silhouettes are bouncy and floaty, resulting in a playful display of movement as the model walks.
Upon closer inspection, the attention-to-detail is evident in each of Daisy’s garments, be this long and glittery claw-like nails, layered bodysuits, or intricate knitted rope detailing.
Inspired by the world of dance, Sam Fisher’s collection is influenced by his love of contemporary dance and nights out at northern soul clubs. His core motivation is to capture the feeling of expression, freedom, and letting go that you experience when dancing. Sam’s intention with his collection was to create ‘something that would have people excited and up in their seats, something that's really going to encapsulate the feeling that I have on a dance floor’.
The collection features exposed torsos paired with chalk-dusted structural tailoring, exhibiting both traditional silhouettes alongside obscure shapes. The stained hems and dusty fabric reference the inevitable staining of clothing when moving on powdered dance floors.
To capture wind and create movement on the catwalk, Sam utilised chiffon and lightweight textures so his garments are constantly dynamic. This is only enhanced by the explosive and energetic way in which his models walked (or danced!) down the runway.
Conversely, some of his pieces capture the complete opposite effect and have been crafted with wax and plaster to hold a frozen shape. Sam’s intention here is to create the illusion of a still-image and static dance move.
Inspired by Jewish craftsmanship and symbols, BA Fashion Design and Print student Alona Cohen’s graduate collection is a celebration of handmade clothing and traditional crafting techniques.
To create this beautifully diverse collection, Alona has utilised many different crafting processes, such as weaving, printing, silk painting, and embroidery. She has incorporated intricate elements of hand-crafted lace and artisanal silversmithing, commissioned by artists who practice traditional techniques and slow-crafting processes.
Her garments are made from donated fabrics, mostly natural fibers and silks, that she has painted using natural dyes.
Titled ‘Liberation’, Doyeon Jeong’s collection is inspired by her love of flower arranging. Doyeon has expressed this theme through sharp and structured silhouettes, designed to reflect the pointed shapes of origami.
Having studied fashion for 10 years, Doyeon titled her collection ‘Liberation’ as it captures her feeling of wanting to escape restrictions and express herself fully. She views flowers as a visual representation of this feeling. Her pieces are made using light cotton fabric that she sourced from Korea that was easily shaped into stiff and structured silhouettes whilst still being comfortable for the model.
Doyeon believes that garments should be light and moveable. She did not want to use boning or plastic as it would be very heavy and not allow the model to walk comfortably. Her models walk the runway holding fabric flower arrangements that Doyeon also hand-made.
Inspired by the question 'What happens when humanity finally realizes its fragility, yet finds no way forward?’ the collection titled ‘Heroic Era’ depicts six figures designed by Yuze. These characters are dressed as if they were the human heroes in a dystopian world to ‘lead us through a time where our home is no longer habitable’
Focusing on the balance between traditional handicraft and contemporary practices, Yuze Li blends a mixture of processes to create these futuristic and heroic garments. He blends fantasy storytelling with traditional crafting methodologies such as ceramics, and chinese pottery.
He adorns his heroes in lace straps, sequins, and a blend of metallic and sequin accessories, capturing these powerful and futuristic silhouettes and textures.
Paying homage to their hometown and family in the Philippines, She Carmona’s collection ‘My Home in Paraiso’ is a representation of diaspora and memories of home through an exploration of texture, layering, and colour. Using old rice bags and recycled ‘trash’ materials from the Philippines, She has constructed layered garments out of found-fabrics and colours that reflect the professions of their family back home.
She’s intention was to layer ‘uniform’ with ‘non-uniform’ into one garment. To encapsulate this, they hand-sliced multiple layers of fabric from different outfits to communicate the balance between profession and identity.
A central theme of She’s collection is the image of a nursing scrub. Their mother, who worked as a nurse, has a tendency to repurpose found objects, describing how she would often bring pots home from work to use in the garden. To honor their mother, aunties and all the nurses in the Philippines, She has utilized the simple silhouette and recognizable colour of a blue medical scrub to create a sentimental garment.
Additionally, these garments are paired with chunky jewellery, to reflect how nurses still wear their jewellery even when at work - once again a nod to the balance between uniform and non-uniform and how identity and profession intersect.
Designed as a showcase of aspiration and failure, 'Dream Ceremony’ is a celebration of friendship and nostalgia. Inspired by his friends and their stories, Luke Hemmingway’s collection explores the concept of dreams that don’t end up coming true, or life-paths that we once thought were right for us that end up falling through. For example, friends from Luke’s home in Manchester that were aspiring athletes but had to surrender their dreams due to finances or injuries. Luke uses this collection to shine a light on the beauty and comfort in failure and what could have been.
His collection is simultaneously nostalgic and hopeful, he acknowledges the past and intertwines this with ideas of a better future.
Luke’s textural influences come from repurposed iconography from the 2002 commonwealth games, found prints, and sketches his mum made when she was a teenager - reflecting on ‘better times' and pairing dreams with reality. To capture themes of authenticity and inauthenticity, Luke combines visual logos and fake brand symbols with ‘everyday’ materials such as shopping bags, old fuzzy coats, mesh football bibs and sportswear. These fake designer logos are printed onto jeans, bags and jackets and are coupled with bronze details to indicate pride in coming last in place.
Inspired by the film ‘Past Lives’ by Celine Song, Ming Lim’s graduate collection traces the idea of the many lives you can lead within the one you live. Ming has translated this concept into the idea of how garments become sentimental to us throughout our lives, like a jacket passed down by a loved one, or a reliable coat you keep wearing every winter.
To capture this visually, Ming has developed techniques of layering sheer, hazy textiles to create a physical effect of things peeling off. Her designs place emphasis on small intricate details, such as a button, button hole, or capelette.
Ming's goal with this collection of garments is to create pieces where nothing is truly opaque, where everything is hazy and obscured. Her favorite piece from the collection is an entirely white look, it is purely left without any print or decoration - this one feels sentimental to her and perfectly encapsulates her artistic intentions behind the collection.
Images courtesy of Central Saint Martins
In June, the iconic Central Saint Martins BA fashion show took place, showcasing the industry’s trailblazers and up-and-coming designers. This highly anticipated and captivating show highlighted the magnificent final collections created by Central Saint Martins talented class of 2025, and announced the winner of the L’Oréal Professionnel Young Talent Award, Myah Hasbany.
Not Just a Label stepped backstage and got chatting with some of the fantastic designers and creators behind the looks we saw on the catwalk. We got an inside look behind-the-scenes of the iconic fashion show, experiencing the chaos, planning, and attention-to-detail that goes into putting together a collection ready for the runway. Through getting to know the designers backstage, we learned all about the stories and journeys behind their work.
Opening the fashion show, Womenswear student Isobel Dickens showcases a collection of playful garments that tell a story of nostalgia and change, reflecting the innocence and fondness of childhood memories. The collection is inspired by Isobel’s upbringing in Thanet, where they moved away from when they were 10 years old. The area has changed a lot since Isobel moved away, and her work is influenced by this emotional feeling of evolving spaces and locations that have shifted from how they appear in memory.
She has captured this by creating pieces that visually represent the sentimentality of youth and feeling homesick for a place that no longer exists. In her garments, Isobel has utilized found objects that washed up on the beach, alongside materials reminiscent of their own childhood. These include pipe cleaners, paper cutouts, cardboard, and stickers. Isobel’s designs are inspired by her own childhood drawings, resulting in exaggerated shapes, maximalist silhouettes, and bold, primary colours.
Presenting a fabulously feminine showcase of knitwear pieces, Daisy Knight’s collectio ‘Women in Stem’ is inspired by the female spaces in which she grew up - in particular, her mother’s nail salon. Daisy describes her work as ‘girly, ditsy, sensual, and powerful’, defining her compilation of bright pink jellyfish-esque garments as ‘an exaggerated female performance’.
Daisy’s garments are made of elastic and hand-dyed cotton, which she has crocheted to resemble hair, inspired by her mother and as a further nod to femininity. Her silhouettes are bouncy and floaty, resulting in a playful display of movement as the model walks.
Upon closer inspection, the attention-to-detail is evident in each of Daisy’s garments, be this long and glittery claw-like nails, layered bodysuits, or intricate knitted rope detailing.
Inspired by the world of dance, Sam Fisher’s collection is influenced by his love of contemporary dance and nights out at northern soul clubs. His core motivation is to capture the feeling of expression, freedom, and letting go that you experience when dancing. Sam’s intention with his collection was to create ‘something that would have people excited and up in their seats, something that's really going to encapsulate the feeling that I have on a dance floor’.
The collection features exposed torsos paired with chalk-dusted structural tailoring, exhibiting both traditional silhouettes alongside obscure shapes. The stained hems and dusty fabric reference the inevitable staining of clothing when moving on powdered dance floors.
To capture wind and create movement on the catwalk, Sam utilised chiffon and lightweight textures so his garments are constantly dynamic. This is only enhanced by the explosive and energetic way in which his models walked (or danced!) down the runway.
Conversely, some of his pieces capture the complete opposite effect and have been crafted with wax and plaster to hold a frozen shape. Sam’s intention here is to create the illusion of a still-image and static dance move.
Inspired by Jewish craftsmanship and symbols, BA Fashion Design and Print student Alona Cohen’s graduate collection is a celebration of handmade clothing and traditional crafting techniques.
To create this beautifully diverse collection, Alona has utilised many different crafting processes, such as weaving, printing, silk painting, and embroidery. She has incorporated intricate elements of hand-crafted lace and artisanal silversmithing, commissioned by artists who practice traditional techniques and slow-crafting processes.
Her garments are made from donated fabrics, mostly natural fibers and silks, that she has painted using natural dyes.
Titled ‘Liberation’, Doyeon Jeong’s collection is inspired by her love of flower arranging. Doyeon has expressed this theme through sharp and structured silhouettes, designed to reflect the pointed shapes of origami.
Having studied fashion for 10 years, Doyeon titled her collection ‘Liberation’ as it captures her feeling of wanting to escape restrictions and express herself fully. She views flowers as a visual representation of this feeling. Her pieces are made using light cotton fabric that she sourced from Korea that was easily shaped into stiff and structured silhouettes whilst still being comfortable for the model.
Doyeon believes that garments should be light and moveable. She did not want to use boning or plastic as it would be very heavy and not allow the model to walk comfortably. Her models walk the runway holding fabric flower arrangements that Doyeon also hand-made.
Inspired by the question 'What happens when humanity finally realizes its fragility, yet finds no way forward?’ the collection titled ‘Heroic Era’ depicts six figures designed by Yuze. These characters are dressed as if they were the human heroes in a dystopian world to ‘lead us through a time where our home is no longer habitable’
Focusing on the balance between traditional handicraft and contemporary practices, Yuze Li blends a mixture of processes to create these futuristic and heroic garments. He blends fantasy storytelling with traditional crafting methodologies such as ceramics, and chinese pottery.
He adorns his heroes in lace straps, sequins, and a blend of metallic and sequin accessories, capturing these powerful and futuristic silhouettes and textures.
Paying homage to their hometown and family in the Philippines, She Carmona’s collection ‘My Home in Paraiso’ is a representation of diaspora and memories of home through an exploration of texture, layering, and colour. Using old rice bags and recycled ‘trash’ materials from the Philippines, She has constructed layered garments out of found-fabrics and colours that reflect the professions of their family back home.
She’s intention was to layer ‘uniform’ with ‘non-uniform’ into one garment. To encapsulate this, they hand-sliced multiple layers of fabric from different outfits to communicate the balance between profession and identity.
A central theme of She’s collection is the image of a nursing scrub. Their mother, who worked as a nurse, has a tendency to repurpose found objects, describing how she would often bring pots home from work to use in the garden. To honor their mother, aunties and all the nurses in the Philippines, She has utilized the simple silhouette and recognizable colour of a blue medical scrub to create a sentimental garment.
Additionally, these garments are paired with chunky jewellery, to reflect how nurses still wear their jewellery even when at work - once again a nod to the balance between uniform and non-uniform and how identity and profession intersect.
Designed as a showcase of aspiration and failure, 'Dream Ceremony’ is a celebration of friendship and nostalgia. Inspired by his friends and their stories, Luke Hemmingway’s collection explores the concept of dreams that don’t end up coming true, or life-paths that we once thought were right for us that end up falling through. For example, friends from Luke’s home in Manchester that were aspiring athletes but had to surrender their dreams due to finances or injuries. Luke uses this collection to shine a light on the beauty and comfort in failure and what could have been.
His collection is simultaneously nostalgic and hopeful, he acknowledges the past and intertwines this with ideas of a better future.
Luke’s textural influences come from repurposed iconography from the 2002 commonwealth games, found prints, and sketches his mum made when she was a teenager - reflecting on ‘better times' and pairing dreams with reality. To capture themes of authenticity and inauthenticity, Luke combines visual logos and fake brand symbols with ‘everyday’ materials such as shopping bags, old fuzzy coats, mesh football bibs and sportswear. These fake designer logos are printed onto jeans, bags and jackets and are coupled with bronze details to indicate pride in coming last in place.
Inspired by the film ‘Past Lives’ by Celine Song, Ming Lim’s graduate collection traces the idea of the many lives you can lead within the one you live. Ming has translated this concept into the idea of how garments become sentimental to us throughout our lives, like a jacket passed down by a loved one, or a reliable coat you keep wearing every winter.
To capture this visually, Ming has developed techniques of layering sheer, hazy textiles to create a physical effect of things peeling off. Her designs place emphasis on small intricate details, such as a button, button hole, or capelette.
Ming's goal with this collection of garments is to create pieces where nothing is truly opaque, where everything is hazy and obscured. Her favorite piece from the collection is an entirely white look, it is purely left without any print or decoration - this one feels sentimental to her and perfectly encapsulates her artistic intentions behind the collection.
Images courtesy of Central Saint Martins