All told, this was the weakest London Fashion Week in several years, amid depressed markets, global disruptions, Brexit bruises, a fashion funeral and a general sense of exhaustion. Two collections on Monday, however, stood out – Johanna Parv and Ashish
 

Johanna Parv: London’s most coherent collection

One London-based designer always worth checking out is Johanna Parv, an Estonian who makes activewear actually look very cool. She staged no show, but her collection still felt like the most relevant and clued-in in London.

Parv’s key ideas often come from cycling, which helps gives a multi-functional twist to everything she does. For next winter, she showed great cambered pants in a crinkly nylon, excellent co-ed fashion that was hyper-functional and stylish.
 
While her precise new techy fencing-meets-Mandarin cotton shirts with peak collars, side pocket and reflective sign at back were excellent.

She also cut great cantilevered Velocity Trousers in sturdy Italian wool gabardine with nylon lining that hung perfectly. And her Tech Vent Blazers looked like they could work in a club, boardroom, cocktail or gym – defining what makes Johanna Parv such a great designer.

We will say it again – some bright clued-in CEO of a major active sport giant should make Johanna Parv their creative director. She has that much talent.
 

Ashish: Fashion, not fascism

Glitz and blitz from Delhi-born designer Ashish with a bold homage to partying, in a collection unveiled somewhat confusingly at 9.15 AM Monday morning.
 

See catwalk

Staged inside the showroom basement of 180 The Strand with a great live DJ name Bestley waxing the stacks, this was really a Friday night show held at breakfast time. Blown-up balloons greeted guests reading “Everyone Welcome” or “Walk of Shame”, as the quirky cast danced around the catwalk.
 
Opening with spiky blood-orange columns, degradé silver sequin cocktails, and a gal in fishnet tights and white T-shirt that read – “Not in the Mood”. Well, Ashish and his gals clearly are, as they smoldered in transparent dresses finished with power pop stars, or in glitzy Chanel-style suits, the jackets worn open to reveal mini black bras. 
 
His guys were fairly raunchy too: wearing bovver boots, pink sequin knickers and crew neck sweaters reading “Pig”; or knickers and black sequin tops that shouted: “Wow, What a Shit Show”.

See catwalk

One mock monk in skirt, Alpine sweater and cord belt holding a knit penis, held a cardboard reading, “The End is Near”.
 
The collection marked the latest outcry in fashion against Trump’s executive orders and Meloni laws targeting LGBT rights, ending with another sequined top that read, “Fashion Not Fascism”.