ANCIELA's SS27 presentation at Regent Quarter during London Fashion Week on 17 September featured leather pressed from leftover grape skins and seaweed-based padding, and the collection's starting point was the bond between mother and daughter. Designer Jennifer Droguett Espinosa, the Colombian-Chilean founder of the London label, treats that relationship, with its care, tension and trauma, as a metaphor for our connection with Mother Earth.
ANCIELA describes itself as a sustainable luxury womenswear label, and SS27 brings that vision to life by pairing experimental adaptive tailoring with next-generation material innovations and live performance.
Who Is Jennifer Droguett Espinosa?
Jennifer Droguett Espinosa founded ANCIELA in London in 2019. The label draws on South American folklore, migration and childhood memories, and works with circularity from the start of the design process, combining recycling, upcycling and regenerative techniques with emerging material innovation.
For SS27, she looks at what passes between generations, from knowledge and memory to tradition, and at what that inheritance means for the environment. Adjustable panels and detachable sleeves let pieces change, adapting to movement and shape.
The Mills Fabrica and Endurance Land supported the presentation. In 2026, ANCIELA won the Visa Young Creators x Global Fashion Agenda award and presented its work at the Global Fashion Summit in Copenhagen.
Inside the SS27 Collection
The presentation unfolded on a pale aqua runway dotted with white circles against a striking deep blue backdrop. The opening look set a dramatic tone: a sheer white halter-neck dress with a fluid, layered skirt, topped by a large sculptural white headpiece resembling an abstract cloud.
A rich palette followed, highlighted by a voluminous purple top with exaggerated, puffed off-the-shoulder sleeves paired with matching wide-leg trousers, and a grey knit with sharp cut-out detailing over a voluminous blue-and-white skirt.
Tailoring took on textured dimensions through a grey-blue jacket finished with a fringed hem, while a vibrant blue knit featuring a lattice-style chest cut-out was paired casually with green check trousers. Intricate fern motifs rippled across lightweight blue-and-green dresses, anchoring the collection's forest inspiration.
How ANCIELA SS27 Uses Next-Gen Sustainable Materials
Savigne, by Planet of the Grapes, is an animal-free, plant-based leather alternative made from pressed grape skins, stalks and seeds left over from winemaking. The grapes come from organic and biodynamic vineyards in Provence, South of France. ANCIELA uses the material for garments and accessories.
AlgaFila, a fibre made from seaweed extract, air and nanotechnology, appears across the knitwear and padded garments. Lightweight and thermally insulating, it offers an alternative to standard padding and yarns. The abstract fern motifs, inspired by the jungle and deep forest, use a black bio-based pigment from Octarine, a synthetic biology platform developing low-impact, nature-inspired solutions.
Existing materials sit alongside the new ones. Artist Allegra Hicks donated vintage silk, and Orsola de Castro supplied rescued wool suiting. The collection also uses deadstock cottons, certified Tencel and recycled cotton. ANCIELA says the material collaborations offer a chance to explore how fashion can support innovation, education, and knowledge exchange.
Commitment to Sustainable Luxury
The SS27 extends beyond the catwalk. Guests interacted with an installation of material collaborations and contributed to collective pieces. Since its foundation, ANCIELA has also developed augmented reality experiences, workshops and panel discussions alongside its collections.
Filmmaker Marie Lanna directed a live performance with artist Luzmira Zerpa to accompany the presentation, running three acts that explored ancestry, connection, transformation, and regeneration. ANCIELA describes this as a reflection of its commitment to using fashion as a platform for sustainability and education.
