River Island

River Island has announced its latest Design Forum collaboration with womenswear designer Liz Black for AW14. Previous emerging designers have included Eudon Choi, Katie Eary and Joseph Turvey. The nine piece collection of ready-to-wear and accessories is inspired by Russian Princess Anastasia Romanova and includes cuffs, dresses with a corset silhouette, an oval clutch bag with a metallic cover which echoes the extensive collection of Faberge eggs as well as sculpted separates in Scuba, wool and leather. The colour palette ranges from black to midnight blue, with print in blues and greys. The collection will launch via a short film directed by Mary Nighy at London Fashion Week’s Fashion Film event in September. The collection goes on sale in selected stores in the UK and internationally and online at riverisland.com in September, with prices ranging from £30 to £100. Liz Black is a luxury womenswear label set up by Central St. Martin’s college graduate Liz Black in 2010. She was selected by Roland Mouret as a semi-finalist for the prestigious Fashion Fringe Awards 2011, was selected by Vogue Italia’s senior fashion editor Sara Maino as a ‘Vogue Talent’ and counts Lady Gaga as one of celebrity fans. Most recently Liz was nominated at the Scottish Fashion Awards in the ‘Creative Excellence’ category.