LFW AW26 - Inside Nosakhari x Tega Akinlola: The Modern Circuit:

Jennifer Hensey
56 minutes ago
3 min read

Walking into the room felt like stepping into artificial daylight, despite Brick Lane’s pitch-black streets looming outside. Inside, the outside noise seemed irrelevant – the space felt almost liminal, as though it demanded that you abandon lingering thoughts or external distractions. It was stark and almost clinical, with white walls, bright warehouse lighting, and a central podium commanding attention. Heavy bass from the decks pulsed through the space as guests cautiously filtered around the display. What began as quiet uncertainty soon dissolved into enthusiasm, flashes of cameras and the rising hum of conversation. This was Modern Circuit, a limited-edition collaboration between Hackney-based leather goods brand Nosakhari London and multidisciplinary designer Tega Akinola, presented on the first day of London Fashion Week.

Built on a foundation of deliberate tension – where leather panels meet exposed wires – the visual contrasts echoed the starkness of the room itself. Against the plain white backdrop, the crossbody bags in layered shades and intricate detailing felt almost architectural in their presence. Nothing competed for attention; the centralised display called on the audience to observe with ritualistic precision. The accompanying wall text described the piece as one where “the crossbody is reframed not as accessory, but as infrastructure: engineered, architectural and deliberately revealed”. The Butler silhouette, first conceived in 2022, is reconstructed here so that construction becomes surface. The wires are not concealed but extended outward, transforming what is typically hidden into the defining aesthetic of the piece.

The process and craft are further emphasised by the polystyrene prototype base that rings the lower tier of the podium – stained, chipped and visibly unfinished – continuing the dialogue of contrast against the sleek, polished final products displayed above them. Presenting the raw developmental form alongside the refined outcome resists the illusion of seamless luxury. It becomes less an accessory and more an artefact: a vision that foregrounds labour, structure and material transparency.

Speaking with Tega Akinola offered further insight into the motivations behind the exhibition. “We wanted to combine both of our design languages and use the bag itself as the structure for that. It’s an artefact-type bag. You can see the real wire coming out of the logo pouch and extending onto the surface of the leather,” she explained. She gestured towards a black leather piece standing centrally on the highest tier, cables orbiting its surface like exposed circuitry – a direct nod to the exhibition’s title and its themes of connection, electricity and infrastructure. The bag becomes the blueprint for shared authorship, merging the distinct practices of both designers. “I love the tan brown one,” Akinola continued, pointing to a piece layered in multiple shades of brown. “I love how the colours come together – the leather blends really nicely. It’s my favourite because of the colour.”

The wired language of the exhibition suggested that sustainability was not a marketing afterthought but embedded within the construction itself. When asked what sustainability meant to her, Akinola reflected, “When I started, upcycling and transforming materials were really foundational to my practice. For this collection, we tried to use what we already had — exploring different approaches to sustainability.” As the foundation of her career, sustainability is not a passing trend but a structural principle. The reused materials within this collection, including leather cut-offs, demonstrate that there is no singular method of repurposing, but rather an openness to experimentation. Like most creative processes, the collection evolved. Akinola revealed that the pair initially explored a more sportswear-based crossbody and considered embedding real wire within layers of leather cut-offs. However, she explained that it “didn’t feel strong enough conceptually,” leading them to incorporate leather cords more representatively. This shift resulted in a more sculptural and refined final piece, while still retaining real cables within other structural elements of the collection.

Although this marked Akinola’s first London Fashion Week appearance, her joint launch with Nosakhari London did not disappoint as thoughtful conversation flowed throughout the well-lit room. What does this suggest about fashion now? In a field dominated by spectacle, Modern Circuit proved that the process and infrastructure may be the most compelling aesthetic of all. As craft and sculpture merge in emerging London Fashion Week spaces, accessories transcend their status as neglected secondary objects to become sites of material experimentation.