My sandy blonde friend Sophie and I met two years ago when we studied a short jewellery course at London College of Fashion. Now I am back in the land of Bar B Q’s and she is linking chains and dangling charms making exquisite boned keep sakes and heir looms for the future sharing an exhibition with the new kids on the block for ARAE.

Katja Guenther’s wet liquid surface textile prints had my hand reach out like a twitch. One of my main regrets in life is not studying textiles in Europe when I had the chance, choosing warehouse parties and boys. At RMIT I was constantly taught how to design marketable stripes and knitted spots for a tiny niche market, and then I see the fabrics at Arae making rain proof tsunami waves around bodies and I feel sick with jealousy.

Florencia Kozuch is a 23-year-old Saint Martins student who is already exhibiting her graduate range based on the 9,000-year old South American tribe the Onas. In touching distance the looped knits and long haired jackets are done to a turn.

Louise Langkilde Larsen from the Royal College of Art needs closer inspection. Hounds tooth weaves are modernised with what looks like mini white tiled stickers and mainstream classics are overlayed with isosceles triangled jackets and vests.

The headpiece is Florencia’s, the figure grazing leggings are Katya’s and the crocheted holes and spiderleg tassles are Sara Bro-jørgensen. Funny how one small exhibition in the east end which is typical on this side of the world can be a once in a million for a sand and tim tam girl from below.

Photographer Patrick Lindblom
Make up Yuka Hirata
Hair Soichi Inagaki
Styling Machiko Abe
Direction Sarah Michelle