Ashley Williams CARDIGANS

Hot off the heels of her acclaimed graduate collection for The University of Westminster, young designer Ashley Williams was tapped to join Fashion East, Lulu Kennedy’s London-based incubator for emerging fashion talent, designing with the collective for two seasons before making her solo runway debut for Spring 2015. An eccentric amalgam of millennial pop culture iconography, kitschy nostalgia, and inimitably British charm, the NEWGEN-sponsored designer’s womenswear encompasses the exuberant and irreverent spirit of her generation. Cheeky slogans and delightfully campy graphics adorn oversized t-shirts and sweatshirts, with bags and accessories embellished with off-beat details. Unabashedly feminine dresses and miniskirts play with cool borrowed-from-the-boys streetwear, including oversized bomber jackets, fleece hoodies, and T-shirt dresses.