Anciela Spring/Summer 2027
Written by Emma Forsyth
No more European holiday content, chillier nights and the smell of productivity in the air can only mean one thing, Fashion Month is upon us. As we celebrate the official opening night of London Fashion Week, everybody will be clamouring to get into Harris Reed before inevitably heading onto the H&M show and afterparty. I would like to take this opportunity to cast another show into the opening night spotlight, ANCIELA.
Founded in London in 2019 by Colombian-Chilean interdisciplinary designer Jennifer Droguett Espinosa, ANCIELA is a sustainable luxury womenswear label rooted in South American folklore, migration and childhood memories. While sustainability has become somewhat of a fashion-week buzzword, ANCIELA has built circularity into its design process from the very beginning, working across recycling, upcycling and regenerative techniques.
For its latest presentation, ANCIELA traded the traditional runway for something altogether more theatrical. Divided into three acts, the performance explored ancestry, connection, transformation and regeneration, beginning with tree branches being carried into the centre of the space. The symbolism was hard to miss: nature, heritage and the passing of knowledge becoming as much a part of the show as the clothes themselves.
The collection follows a thread between past, present and future, with an intimate focus on the bond between mother and daughter and our relationship with the natural world. That philosophy translates into ANCIELA’s experimental approach to tailoring, with adjustable panels, detachable sleeves and interconnected layers allowing garments to be tied, knotted and reshaped around the body.
The materials are equally considered. Deadstock cottons sit alongside AlgaFila, a fibre made from seaweed extract, air and nanotechnology, used across knitwear and padded garments. Elsewhere, Savigne by Planet of the Grapes offers an animal-free, plant-based leather alternative made from waste grape skins, stalks and seeds from organic and biodynamic vineyards in Provence. Abstract fern motifs, inspired by the darkness of the jungle and deep forest, are created using a bio-based pigment developed by Octarine.
And yet, for all the technical innovation, the clothes never lose their sense of fantasy. Billowing silk skirts, sculptural cut-out tops and one-of-a-kind silhouettes give the collection a distinctly ANCIELA quality that feels difficult to replicate.
With appearances in Vogue México and ELLE Hong Kong, as well as being selected as a Visa Young Creators x Global Fashion Agenda winner in 2026, ANCIELA is already making its mark beyond London. As good as what we are seeing on the official show schedule, ANCIELA deserves to be more than an evening event on London Fashion Week’s calendar.
Credits:
Photography and Direction: Marcus Hartelt
