Six Designers to Watch from Central Saint Martins 2026 BA Fashion Show

LONDON — For the first time in 15 years, the Central Saint Martins’ graduate BA fashion show moved from the school’s hallowed halls to South London’s Peckham.

Held an hour from central London, ultimately location didn’t matter. Established alumni, current students and graduates’ friends and families turned out to support the next generation of young designers.

Flush with electric color, swirling pattern and material innovation, this year’s show was a celebration of community and creativity in the face of genocide, socioeconomic instability and job insecurity. In that spirit, this year there were no celebrity guest judges; instead, guests voted for their favorite collections.

This year’s L’Oréal Young Talent Award went to Ukrainian womenswear designer Polina Kadilnikova, whose heartfelt collection unpacked the Russo-Ukrainian war’s erasure of her culture.

Harley Angrabeit’s joyful pieces that celebrated London’s Ridley Road market came in second, and knitwear designer Arora Nielson took home third for her dreamy looks.

Below, here are six names to watch from this year’s Central Saint Martins BA fashion show.

Polina Kadilnikova

Ukrainian womenswear designer Polina Kadilnikova’s graduate collection was a powerful love letter to her home, exploring the painful loss of culture and community the Russo-Ukraine war has caused.

“This year is the fourth year of ongoing war in Ukraine, with millions of people losing their homes and hope to return,” she said. “My collection uses a lot of imagery from occupied territories to represent the nostalgia of peaceful times, reminding that some places to this date exist purely in a form of imagery.”

Warped silhouettes drew from traditional garments that have been banned or erased, their prints of idyllic Ukrainian scenery distorted and faded.

“It’s about the question of what happens when places that shaped you no longer exist, and how you can keep the memories of those places, if they are fractured under fear of losing it all,” she explained.

War objects, like steel anti-tank obstacles, were shrunk down into dress embellishments in a powerful protest against war, occupation and genocide.

Matteo Dunkley

A last-minute change in design direction for knitwear graduate Matteo Dunkley became a blessing in disguise.

“It meant I didn’t have extensive research to steer my collection; instead, it was the process I adopted that developed the finished looks,” he said. Material innovation was part of that development, Dunkley embedding wax into his knits to create sculptable garments.

The result? Slouchy sweaters and trousers in enticing tones were given a much-needed refresh, imbued with delightful sheen and shape. These chic structural forms were each tied neatly around models with a bow. But the ribbons weren’t just ornamental: “High fashion is so expensive and coveted these days that I find there’s so much emphasis on who’s wearing what. It’s a great thing,” he said.

“But with my collection, I wanted the models to appear as if they were the prize — the clothing is merely wrapping paper, and the attention should be on the amazing women wearing it.”

Chi Wei

A dive into Chi Wei’s childhood jewelry box inspired her electric collection, a frisson of neon beading and shaggy faux fur.

“I wanted the collection to feel like opening a box of personal memories — bringing together childhood nostalgia, family traces and old objects that still carry emotional value,” she explained.

One of her favorite childhood cartoons, “Black Cat Detective,” was a key reference. The collection’s candy-coated yellows, blues and pinks nodded to the show’s palette, while patterns of hand-beaded skirts and pants reference its titular character.

Mod A-line dresses and coats, made with plastick-y faux fur, gave everything a toy-like feel. “I wanted the garments to have a very yummy quality, almost like something sweet, tactile and tempting to touch,” she said.

Joseph Richman

Menswear designer Joseph Richman doesn’t care if good taste is a commodity. He’s more drawn to when aspiring aesthetes miss the mark.

“It’s all about this very privileged struggle to perform being ‘middle class,’ specifically suburban middle class-ness,” he explained.

Studying the performance of good taste gone askew in the London suburb where he grew up, Richman secretly snapped pictures of his family and neighbors, creating a 350-page photo book that inspired his collection.

“Everyone can afford ‘the thing,’ it’s just about having the right ‘thing.’ This becomes awkward because everything’s not quite right, but the intention is there,” he added.

That uncomfortable yearning was translated into garments ever-so-wonky, abounding with intentional creasing and unexpected fabrics. A French boiler suit was forged from British wool fused with stiff canvas to mimic drill cotton, while thrifted scarves were recut into a pleated dress.

Jonah Davies

For print designer Jonah Davies, nothing beats the childlike joy of dressing up.

“Just the ability to be able to transform into a character is such a fun feeling,” Davies said. But the Daphne Guinness Scholarship holder’s not one for last-minute sexy cat costumes.

His fantastical collection was a whirl through his dream costume chest, complete with kebab wrapper-inspired trousers — made of fused silver foil sublimated with hundreds of tartan panels — and a verdant green peacoat made from Velcro reactive fabric and plastered with attachable limes.

“The silhouettes were all based on the idea that they’re ill-fitting. Trousers may have been bought four years ago and are too small; however, it doesn’t matter within this world,” he continued. That explained the delightfully cheeky bumster cuts, like the pink pleather trousers with puff paint detailing.

Buzz Shatford

Looking for something to wear for a night out during a hardcore winter?

Canadian fashion design and communication graduate Buzz Shatford’s fluorescent final collection ensured you wouldn’t be lost in a snowstorm. Drawing on his time doing drag in Toronto, Shatford paid homage to the dedication needed to dress up in subzero temperatures.

“When we would party in the winter, things were just way more…hardcore,” he said, laughing. “A lot of comedy emerged from navigating a city covered in snow, slush and salt in heels and wigs. The choices I made in this collection mostly came from mixing that flavor of ridiculousness with the idealized, picturesque notion of winter you find in a snowglobe or an old-timey Christmas movie.”

Heaps of tinsel, shimmering yarn and crystallized raffia were sculpted into the showstopping dresses and oversize pom-poms, inspired by snowballs, piled on skirts and hats. It was an epic, joyful way to close the show.