Fashion East returned to its usual Truman Brewery location this season, this time set up as a one-sided runway, with guests facing a clear plastic curtain that was industrial and a bit American Psycho. This time around, the Fashion East trio was: Louther, Nuba and Olly Shinder.

This season, Louther collaborated with the Polish artist Helena Minginowicz, who is known for her hazy, airbrushed aesthetic. The models in the show held masks adorned with Minginowicz’s airbrushed images as accessories. The collection too was inspired by Minginowicz’s gradients, casual pieces blended into formal pieces, which brought an incredibly cool edge to Louther’s sophomore outing for Fashion East. Leather biker jackets with popped shearling collars were styled with heavy fabric trousers, formal suits were deconstructed into their original panels and reconstructed to create a totally new style, and heavy hardwear adorned jackets and jumpers. It was very fresh and very exciting.

Next up was Nuba, who focussed on creating those staples pieces that every brand needs. It’s a good move, oftentimes young brands try to bring something totally different with every show and then they realise that they’ve forgotten to create their own language, their own traits. Based on the concept of waking up, the collection explored “whether geography or people define a state of mind.” It’s a big concept, but it worked. The tones were moody, plenty of blacks, browns and greys, but wonderfully shot through with a vivid cyan blue which was purposefully reminiscent of the blue of hospital scrubs. The materials really felt like the stars of the show, the many full woollen pieces looking like a total dream.

What will we do without Olly Shinder? The designer made his final appearance at Fashion East this season with a show inspired by 90s European menswear and the moody cityscape of Tim Burton’s Batman. Many of us have come to expect playful takes on kink and fetish gear from Shinder, but this season he totally surprised us all. Gone were the sexy lederhosen and in were some very wearable evening dresses and tailored coats and jackets. The collection’s first look, a double-breasted padded jacket and skirt combo, styled with a zip-up inside, felt like a significant advancement for Shinder. Clean nurse-style dresses also made for some surprisingly tasteful additions to the designer’s repertoire. Naturally, some leather had to make an appearance and one hooded knee-length coat offered us something that felt distinctly within Shinder’s heritage. The wide variety of looks in this collection really felt like Shinder was telling us that he’s more than ready for the next step.