The first Peruvian designer to ever show at London Fashion Week presented a heartfelt homage to his birth country and his new home, East London, at Vauxhall’s Fire club on Monday

Genaro Rivas is the first Peruvian designer to show at London Fashion Week, he told us in a pre-show speech on Monday night (19 February) at Vauxhall’s Fire club. His collection, entitled Beautiful James, was inspired by his home country of Peru and his home of East London, leading to a very fitting show title: ‘An Alpaca Trek from Peru to East London’.

“Beautiful James is the work of over 100 people, and if 10 brands decide to work with their local community, that’s over 1000 jobs,” said Rivas before the start of his debut London Fashion Week show. “And this is the message I want to give you today, how we can impact the life of others, how we can make something different with what we love, in this case, fashion.”

It was an emotional start to a very heartfelt collection, with both Peru and East London radiating clearly. Jackets had huge shoulders and emulated the shape of a Peruvian lliklla (heavy, square-shaped woven shawl) when it is worn around the shoulders. However, the shape and zip-through style made them not unlike bomber jackets, a favourite of fashion-y East London types.

The lliklla was a theme, and was ruched to create an asymmetric checked skirt in cream, red and blue. Woven belts in varying colours were worn by many of the models, paired with contrasting garments such as dark wash cargo style jeans. In each look was a sprinkling of his birthplace and the place he now calls home.

The colour scheme was somehow both muted and bright, evocative of natural dyes. An almost teal trench coat with a pink butterfly pin and black, ruched, one-shoulder satin gown were particular stand outs. All models were given the same doll-like, overly rouged and highlighted makeup, complete with beauty spots, certainly spottable from a distance. Each had a cream lace ribbon choker, lace being a noticeable theme throughout the collection, with several pairs of lace socks and tights walking the runway. There were a lot of curly heads, with many of the female models sporting long, frizzed out hair that would have made Hagrid blush.

I could have lived without certain pieces, like the white, often deconstructed, T-shirts with screenprinted photos of Peruvian scenery. But overall, the collection did exactly what it set out to, and Rivas’ obvious joy to be there made it all the more special.