London based Mowala, led by Mowalola Ogunlesi, made a bold return to London Fashion Week with a music-infused runway show staged in a warehouse. Titled “Dirty Pop,” the show merged performance art, rave culture, and fashion, with model movement choreographed by the renowned Paris Goebel. Guests of the show included like A$AP Nast, Mahalia, and Riccardo Tisci to name a few.
Showcased Ogunlesi’s talent for merging elements of streetwear, rock ‘n’ roll, and fetish-wear, latex was transformed into tops, chaps and miniskirts, which were also offered in denim and leather.
The collection also featured striking graphic elements, including animal prints and the word “ebony,” which took inspiration from music creative Dean Blunt’s 2012 Black Is Beautiful album. Several designs were also splashed with the word “n–ga,” a racially-charged term reclaimed by Black American culture. On X, the x-year-old designer suggested the graphic was a nod to rapper Nas and Kelis, who famously wore clothing emblazoned with the word “n–ger” on the 2008 Grammy Awards red carpet.
One of the highlights of the show was a denim collaboration with Italian fashion brand Miss Sixty, alongside a boot partnership with Timberland, both of which blended Ogunlesi’s edgy aesthetic with the respective labels’ classic signatures.
The show’s soundtrack, featuring music by Mowalola and her friend Joey LaBeija, drew inspiration from icons like Michael Jackson, Young Thug and Peaches. In an interview with Interview, Mowalola shared her thoughts on the ambitious nature of her show, stating, “I really just wanted to show out. I wanted to approach fashion in a new way. Last season was the first time I ever got to watch my show, and it was amazing, but I was like, ‘I want more.’ Every time I do something I’m like, ‘I want more.’ So it was just like, ‘Give me more.’
Enjoy a look at the Mowalola spring 2025 lookbook below.
