Bold, Brilliant and Bol$hie - London Fashion Week SS12

Written by Emily-Rose Vierke. Photography by Lin Vitali.

Note: The author's views are entirely his or her own and may not reflect the views of RetoxMagazine.com

BOL$HIE

A beautiful oxymoron of a name which is shadowed in the designs and articles of Bol$hie (nee Rhiannon Jones)

Bol$hie by name, Bolshie by nature

Never has a name suited an artist so well. I use the term artist as opposed to fashion designer as Bol$hie uses such powerful shapes, colours and imagery in her clothes that the term 'fashion designer' seems far too constricted.

Look up the word Bolshie on the internet and you receive two descriptions either 'difficult to manage and rebellious' or 'politically radical or left wing' in any case you are presented with the 19-year-old Yorkshire born creator and her iconic style.

Bol$hie's SS12 collection 'Romantic Povery' - fashion models and Rihannon posing in the backstage before the show.

The rebellious streak comes out when you see that she chooses to ignore those which are deemed as fashion rules; she alerts clashing prints, gold and silver together and more bling than Fiddy. She’s a renegade of an artist.

As for being politically radical, I don’t know much about Bol$hie’s views on the law but she doesn’t strike me as the typical David Cameron supporter. In relation to her style the words to describe Bol$hie? - Rebellious and radical.

Rhiannon on the Rooftop

Rooftop of a carpark - the stage for Bol$hie's SS12 collection 'Romantic Poverty'.

From the outset the first show at London Fashion Week is so Bol$hie. It is staged at a Shoreditch car park - edgy. On the ninth floor; start as you mean to go on - at the top. It’s a bold and courageous setting and is just a little hint as to what is to come.

In her SS12 collection Bol$hie appears to take on an early nineties trend with a modern twist; its as if she has thrown us head first into an episode of 'The Fresh Prince of Bel Air' but reminded us that we still live in the year 2011.

She has modernized aggressive colours (lurid yellows, lime green) and paired them with religious symbols, then plastered them over a variety of garments including a bomber jacket, a raincoat, a bikini, a tracksuit, and even a pair of dungarees; creating an eye-catching mass of striking pieces.

Bol$hie SS12 collection features religious symbols.

The patterns are arrogant, colours are brash and the style is so brazen you have to take a step back to admire.

Fashion models sporting pieces from Bolshie's SS12 collection 'Romantic Poverty'.

There are those (Lady GaGa, Ke$ha, Jessie J) who will see these designs and want the collection in the entirety. But for us 'average Joes' Bol$hie has not forgot. Some guy can chuck on a pair of jeans, a white tee and a Bol$hie jacket and you have effortless cool. This is all part of her charm.

Would you catch somebody walking down the street in a full Bol$hie outfit; the skirt, the crop top, the hair band, the necklace and hat? Probably not. But you don’t need that, with Bol$hie you just need to grab that dollar sign mini or Bol$hie stamped hat and you’re set to make a statement.

The Future of Fashion

It will be easy to dismiss her as an inventor with too much imagination and access to a sewing machine, perhaps she is, but she is one of a kind who has taken a whole new spin on fashion. Not everybody will be able to relate, but Bol$hie has been welcomed into the fashion industry with open arms and, thankfully, she will not back down easily. Bol$hie by name, Bol$hie by nature.

See more images from Bol$hie's SS12 show 'Romantic Poverty'