LFW AW26 - UOS: Constructing Chaos at the University of Salford Graduate Fashion Show

Courtesy of Dyelog PR

Overcaffeinated, overwhelmed, determined. The studio disappears beneath fabric swatches, annotated sketches, and reminders of deadlines looming just around the corner. Pins live permanently between teeth —  scattered across the floor or embedded in the mannequin like evidence of late-night negotiations. Drafting, redrafting, and philosophising over inspiration becomes a ritual, translating abstract ideas into reality like a painter confronting canvas. Somewhere between theory and thread, intention finally materialises into form, proof that chaos can, in fact, become a collection. The University of Salford MA show beautifully displays the hard work of its graduating students.

Across the show, garments speak first through texture. A design that combines masculinity and femininity features a silver-jewel neckline bodice with a tartan, ruffled, multi-layered miniskirt, illustrating an armour bodice plate combined with a fun miniskirt. Elsewhere, a white shirt-dress incorporates an oversized shirt with a ruffled ivory belt that pairs with the ruffled mini skirt. Practical references appear constantly, but rarely behave practically: a seemingly simple brown blazer and trouser co-ord with accentuated shoulder pads and a cowboy hat. A piece includes an intricate ribbon headpiece. Heavy structures such as this extravagant, boxy beige suit design with black-and-white accents that lend themselves to the cubist period, paired with simple accessories such as the crisp white pussy-bow.

One look arrives encased in a black lattice, part cage, part exoskeleton, the body visible yet protected, movement negotiated through construction rather than ease. Another replaces restraint with control: a sculpted leather bodice flares sharply at the hips, the silhouette almost architectural, suggesting authority rather than decoration. In contrast, a voluminous knitted form softens the atmosphere entirely, with a hoop skirt featuring dense cable patterns that feel more like shelter than clothing. A design that blends different textures features a puffed mini dress made from black and grey tulle, with circular shell detailing in the middle, blending structured and flowing elements into a simple yet jaw-dropping design.  

Rigid fabric collapses into calm drapery in this look that combines opacity with sheerness. An iridescent dress encased with a quilted grey fabric seemingly creates structure on a naturally flowy design. There is a recurring negotiation between protection and exposure; perforations reveal skin beneath heavy structures, such as the pink puffed gown with a high slit, which blends elegance and opulence.

While high gold necklines that cascade into an enveloping pink voluminous skirt conceal its bodice, creating an effect that mimics wind blowing through the drapes of the fabric. Garments restrict as much as they shield, and comfort is offered only after tension, shown by the silver structured bodice with an extravagant neckpiece that draws the audience closer. The skirt, while black, has sharp flaps that have been trimmed with a white lining. The pieces feel less like separate outfits and more like emotional states and memories, all conveyed through their designs.

Drawing from personal histories and cultural memory, each designer channels autobiography into silhouette. Eva Perry looks to her Liverpool upbringing, recalling the havoc of Mischief Night and reframing disorder as empowerment. Described through femininity, technicality, and protective outerwear, her garments reclaim chaos rather than resist it. Chloe Coleman turns to Cornwall, translating the region’s solstices, mining heritage, and fishing communities into clothing that feels coastal, warm, and endearingly eccentric, a wardrobe shaped by landscape and ritual. Louise Shirras examines the life cycle of womanhood through the concept of hysteria, reclaiming a historically loaded term and transforming it into narrative power, joy, and resistance against patriarchal expectations. Elizabeth Knight critiques fashion’s culture of overconsumption in Negative Space, exploring hoarding through graphic, tough yet playful forms that confront excess while embracing it.

Together, these designs create a cohesive wardrobe assembled from different inspirations from lived experience rather than occasion, preparing the ground for the deeply personal narratives that follow.

Designers: Yusuf Kaplan, Mahnoor Khan, Chloe Coleman, Darcie O’Connor, Tanvir Mahidy, Eva Parry, Shravya Shivaprasad, Xenia Xavier Fernandes, Nicolas Piredda, Sanjana Anikumar Nair, Isobel Dawson, Elizabeth Knight, Khadijah Adda, Bethany Meyers, and Louise Shirras

University of Salford Instagram

All Images courtesy of Dyelog PR

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Written by Claudia Limaverde Costa

Edited by Arielle Sam-Alao, Co-fashion editor