Recent Central Saint Martins graduate Nensi Dojaka is making waves with her namesake label. The young Albanian designer heavily references 90s aesthetics in her designs, experimenting with sheer fabrics and asymmetric shapes. Think 90s Kate Moss via Helmut Lang, with a fresh take on modern femininity.
Nensi Dojaka really caught our eye with her Fashion East show at London Fashion Week in February. But when Bella Hadid wore a look from Dojaka’s AW 20 collection to the recent VMA awards, it quickly catapulted Nensi Dojaka to the status of the new ‘it-girl’ label. After Hadid posted an Instagram photo of the look, needless to say, the pieces sold out almost instantly.
Now, the Central Saint Martins graduate has won one of the most prestigious prizes a young designer can acquire - the LVMH Prize. The prestigious award will give the opportunity for Dojaka to receive a year long mentorship with the multinational conglomerate.
The designer of her eponymous label was up against some of the most recognized emerging international talent in the current fashion landscape, like Christopher John Rogers and Rui Zhou. Talent that is so prolific, in fact, that the Karl Lagerfeld Special Jury Prize, a €150k award, was awarded to three: Rui Zhou of Rui, Colm Dillane of KidSuper, and Lukhanyo Mdingi this year.
This is no doubt a proud moment for Dojaka and for Britain as a whole. To celebrate, you can look out for Nensi Dojaka's first solo runway show on the London Fashion Week schedule next week.
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For those who are unfamiliar with Dojaka's work, where did it all begin?
Nensi Dojaka launched her label in 2017 while she was still completing her Bachelor of Arts at the London College of Fashion. While studying, Dojaka interned at Peter Pilotto, and Fyodor Golan and continued to develop her label throughout a Master of Arts course at Central Saint Martins. Dojaka’s Central Saint Martins MA 2019 graduate collection showcased strap dresses with signature deconstructed details and sheer panels, which saw her labelled as a designer to watch and picked up by international online retailer Ssense. Nensi Dojaka had arrived.
Dojaka references Helmut Lang, Ann Demeulemeester, and Alessandro Dell’acqua as the designers that she personally admires. On her website, the designer lists her main goal for the label to be “to repaint the image of women; showing both sides: the vulnerability, but mainly the strength that characterises them”.
Dojaka’s latest collection is modern yet timeless, as the monochromatic pieces rely on texture and volume to create new and exciting shapes. And if you’re lucky enough to be adding one of her pieces to your wardrobe, Nensi Dojaka is currently stocked in Ssense, H Lorenzo, Opening Ceremony, and Macondo.
As for the pieces we’re coveting right now, we have our eye on this classic oversized black blazer. And this black and brown twisted mini dress, featuring panelled silk and mesh, indicative of Dojaka’s signature style.
For more of our London favourites, see our report on the best of London Fashion Week for Spring Summer 2021.
