The World through the Lens of an African Princess: MY FASHION DIARY (Part 6) - LONDON FASHION WEEK 2016 (Little Shilpa, Miuniku & Astraea AW16)

So my series of posts titled "MY FASHION DIARY" continue. It was LONDON FASHION WEEK a few weeks ago and I had the blessed opportunity of being invited to a few designer shows at Fashion Week and I will be providing you with EXCLUSIVE DETAILS into some of designer shows I attended.

Shilpa Chavan, Mumbai (India) designer, is the designer of the label Little Shilpa (which has a particular focus on headpieces). Little Shilpa has become a global brand and Shilpa has clients across the world, including celebrities like LADY GAGA who she proudly counts as her clients. The brand was launched in 2009 and is named after her first name which coincidentally means "sculpture".

Her headpieces are a great mix of East Meets West and Shilpa herself has confirmed that India is her main source of inspiration. Her AW16 collection was eclectic. The presentation, titled "Satellite 20.16", was very futuristic with a great blend of sports luxe active wear and eccentric head-pieces that have an 80s edge.

For more on the Little Shilpa collection see the website http://www.littleshilpa.com/

I would like to thank Shilpa Chavan for inviting me to view her collection.

Miuniku is a luxury clothing and accessories label founded by Nikita and Tina who were born and raised in Mumbai, India. Tina completed her Bachelors in Business Studies in Mumbai (in 2009), and then went on to do a short course in Fashion Marketing at London College of Fashion. Nikita completed a Diploma in Fashion Design from Raffles International in Mumbai. Later in 2010, both Nikita and Tina studied a Degree in Pattern Cutting, progressing onto a BA (Hons) at London College of Fashion. They graduated in June 2013. They are currently based in London and Mumbai .The brand name comes from the nicknames given to the designers by their parents. Tina - Miu and Nikita - Niku.

Since launching the label, Nikita and Tina have had great success, receiving both the Fashion Innovation Award at London College of Fashion (in July 2013) and the ISKO Denim Diffusion Award (in July 2013). They were also Semi- Finalists of the H&M Design Awards 2014.

Their AW16 collection was definitely inspired. The collection was a great blend of bold primary colours and earthy tones. The inspiration for the AW16 collection was campsites, mountaineers, geological analysis and uneven lines in rock and sediments. Who would have guessed?

Here are some of my favourite highlights from the AW16 Miuniku presentation:

For more on Miuniku AW16 collection see the website http://www.miuniku.com/

I would like to thank Tina and Nikita for inviting me to view their collection.

Astraea is a luxury handbag and accessories label based in Paris (France) and was founded by Shaghig and Nanor Tertzakian. The label is a great mix of vintage and futuristic elements which makes their handbags very classic and sophisticated. Each piece is handmade which makes their collections very unique.

The AW16 collection showed a modern take on the traditional satchel in deep colours such as muted greys, burnt orange and ice blue.