Knitwear designer Mark Fast always finds a fanciful story to go along with his collections. Whether or not they always translate on to the runway is another story but this season it was about desert mirages and tropical exoticism. Unlike past seasons, Fast didn’t just stick with his steadfast tight and revealing knits but expanded into crochets and fisherman’s knits that added to the overall aesthetic change. Fast also tried working with non-knits for the first time, showing a lava toned print on a vibrant red neoprene that appeared on dresses and skirts. It’s an interesting position for the designer to be in because London, as demonstrated this week, has a number of successful designers whose entire appeal is based around their ability to manipulate print, but if Fast had stuck with his steadfast silhouettes, he surely would have received the one-note review that he’s been getting the past few seasons.
