Nensi Dojaka hits the sweet spot for SS22

There’s an undeniable buzz around Albanian-born, London-based designer Nensi Dojaka, and that’s not just because she won the 2021 LVMH Prize earlier this month.

Known for her ability to toe the line between underwear and eveningwear, Dojaka’s barely-there, deconstructed mini-dresses and bodysuits made from black and nude layers of tulle and organza have been worn by everyone from Rihanna to Bella Hadid, whose sheer top and low-slung trousers combo had everyone talking at the VMAs last year.

But it’s not just celebrity-endorsement that’s catapulted Dojaka into the limelight. Whether you’ve worn one of her head-turning pieces yourself, or dreamed of wearing one, Dojaka’s minimalist, ​’90s-influenced aesthetic is so sexy, defiant and bold that it will make you desperate to join the gang.

Today, in her first solo show since graduating from Fashion East, Dojaka further developed her trademark body-contouring and knack for slick tailoring. Models with severely gelled, spiky ponytails stomped through The Old Selfridges Hotel wearing delicate dresses with shell-shaped breast cups suspended from spaghetti straps, body-sculpting mesh tops, Love Heart motifs that sweetly framed the décolletage, tailored trousers with extra-thick, rib-hugging waist bands and signature sheer black ruched and tied tights. Proportion play was on the agenda: drainpipe leggings were paired with an oversized boxy blazer and waistcoats with oversized padded shoulders were teamed with tubular sleeves.

As well as expanding her almost entirely black colour palette with the addition of camel, rust and jewel tones inspired by the hyper-masc artworks of Francis Bacon, punctuated by girlhood pinks, Dojaka debuted footwear for the first time in the shape of pointed-toe kitten heels with asymmetric straps, as well as bodysuits in a striking iridescent degradé-lurex fabric. They were greeted by rapturous applause from an audience who were clearly overjoyed to be at one of the first physical fashion shows in a year-and-a-half. And a good one at that.