Central Saint Martins denim project adds new angle to Topshop bounceback

Topshop continues to be very busy as its relaunch programme progresses and its latest move is a collaboration with Central Saint Martins’ MA Fashion programme.

Topshop briefed second-year students on rethinking its Jamie and Joni jeans with 50 design proposals submitted to a panel comprising Topshop’s leadership team and Central Saint Martins’ fashion lecturers. This panel narrowed them down to 10 that were fully developed and showcased on Central Saint Martins MA Fashion runway in London on Friday.

Designs ranged from seamless minimalism to halter neck dresses inspired by and designed for nightlife, layered garments made to move with the wearer and inspired by Nigerian festivals, textures taken from archives documenting the streets and more.

It comes at a time when Topshop is making continuous headlines whether it’s through major retailer tie-ups or other high-profile runway show moments. And while its rebound features a wide variety of new designs, the Jamie and Joni jeans have also been a big part of the collection.

Moses Rashid, Global Marketing Director of Topshop and Topman, said of the latest link-up: “This partnership is about more than just skinny jeans; it is about embracing creativity and having fun with fashion. Topshop’s Jamie and Joni played a significant role in the fashion journeys of many of our community and this was about reinventing the story for the next generation. Some of the designers grew up with Topshop while others were learning about us for the first time. The range of designs was fascinating to see.”

Fabio Piras, Course Leader MA Fashion at Central Saint Martins, added: “We encourage our students to interrogate the past to propose a more thoughtful future. This collaboration offered exactly that opportunity. Working with garments as culturally embedded as Topshop’s Jamie and Joni are within British fashion heritage challenged the designers to respond with both sensitivity and boldness. What emerged was a set of proposals that honour the familiarity of these pieces while pushing them into new territories. Navigating that tension has been a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their talent and the distinctiveness of the CSM MA Fashion approach.”

The 10 designers include MA student Byungyoon Lee, who explores the contrast between tough denim and delicate florals using a lace-resist technique on upcycled denim creating a structured, panelled jacket and trousers; Dede Arisekola, winner of the 2024 BFC x British Library Research x Ahluwalia competition during her BA at Northumbria. Influenced by her Nigerian heritage and Irish identity, festival and carnival dress, her look is a flared jean, jacket and cap layered in checked denim; George Zverko, a London College of Fashion Menswear graduate who’s completing his MA and co-founding UK-and based studio FACTRY. His nightlife-inspired halter-neck piece is constructed from three pairs of Topshop denims.

Then there’s Macy Grimshaw, with experience spanning custom pieces for Emma Corrin for Vogue Germany, to capsule collections with Disney and Harry Lambert, her look features a hyper-real denim print created using chewing gum; Maxina Brewer whose design envisions the body as a “bionic feather”, inspired by the calm strength of London’s canals. Her experience spans Loewe, Nicomede and Di Petsa; and Mie Mie Yin who reimagines classic workwear but with some drama, no surprise given that she’s worked with Alexander McQueen under Sarah Burton and on John Galliano’s last couture collection at Maison Margiela.

The final four are Miki Matsuda who revisits the jeans as cultural symbols, drawing on a metaphor of geological sediment she treats denim as a living archive; Serena Mangiatordi, a BA Fashion Print graduate now completing her MA, she reimagines Topshop’s denim through early-90s tailoring; Thomas Uhlarik, who’s also completing his MA, and creates a unisex jumpsuit to reimagine everyday dressing; and Valeriia Krasheninnikova, who’s inspired by Patti Smith’s rebellious energy.