Yasmin Sewell Supports Roksanda at New Collection Showcase in London
Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Yasmin Sewell took a front-row seat at London Fashion Week as designer label Roksanda unveiled its latest collection, with creative head Roksanda Ilincic presenting her Spring/Summer 2027 line at London’s National Theatre.
Sewell, founder of the wellbeing brand Vyrao and a fashion industry veteran known for helming Browns in the 2000s, reinventing Liberty through her own creative consultancy, and serving as a former adviser to the British Fashion Council and judge at the British Fashion Awards, called the presentation the best Roksanda show she’d seen in 20 years of attending, saying it gave her goosebumps in a post on Instagram after the runway ended.
The collection drew its inspiration from Swiss-American textile artist Francoise Grossen, known for monumental sculptures built from knotted and braided rope. Ilincic translated that technique into clothing through braided details, trailing threads and tactile textures, including a brown silk gown with a tightly braided back and evening dresses framed by looser braid work, alongside stripes, fringe and bold color pairings throughout the collection. Alongside the dramatic eveningwear, the show also featured versatile daywear, with safari jackets, shirtdresses, tailoring and everyday separates rounding out the lineup, staged against the National Theatre’s Brutalist architecture, which offered a striking contrast to the collection’s vibrant colors and flowing textures.
The showcase follows Ilincic’s visit to the Gulf in late 2025, where she presented her Spring/Summer 2026 collection, partly inspired by British sculptor Dame Barbara Hepworth, with stops in Dubai and Riyadh. The designer has dressed high-profile figures including Catherine Middleton, Michelle Obama, Blake Lively, Cate Blanchett and Anne Hathaway, and her designs have also made appearances in the Middle East, including a canary yellow look worn by Saudi-born Jordanian royal Princess Rajwa Al-Hussein in 2023. Reflecting on dressing such prominent women, Ilincic said she has to consider that those women are really under a magnifying glass, meaning every piece needs to hold up to intense scrutiny and last well beyond a single appearance.
The Serbian-born, London-based designer has also spoken warmly about her clientele in the Gulf, describing women there as passionate about experimenting with fashion, eager to express their personalities through clothing while still appreciating the craft and artistry behind each piece.
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