Just behind King’s Cross station lies the internationally renowned Central Saint Martins (CSM) school, an artistic hub for all things fashion, art and culture—and one of the most stylish spots in London.

The campus was once the stomping ground of fashion greats such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Phoebe Philo. All of which have gone from the university’s smoking area during library breaks to the fashion hall of fame, spanning across New York City, Paris, Milan, and, of course, London. But there’s much more to CSM than its prestigious alumni.

Our hunt for CSM’s most fashionable rising stars started off slow. Granary Square was quiet and wasn’t really giving the usual hustle and bustle we’d expect of a university campus. All of a sudden, however, lectures began, libraries opened and the square was flocked with trendsetters who were no strangers to receiving compliments about their outfits—or showing them off. No one was camera shy, the pavement really was their own personal runway.

The students were kind enough to take a few minutes out of their busy schedules to dish the dirt on what inspires their style and model some of their favourite pieces. We might be in the middle of a frantic deadline season but you’d never know, especially given the ways in which the CSM students emulate sublime style and always give off high fashion rather than dread-induced coffee stains and tracksuits.

Name: Ben
Age: 26
Occupation: Music producer
Social media: @shurkpics

“I guess it’s rave style, but it’s more inspired by The Matrix. I love The Matrix.”

“One of the background characters in The Matrix that gets killed very early on in the first movie. I don’t want to be the main character, I just want to be the person in the background where you’re like, ‘oh no, they died’.”

“Probably like the whole of my teenage years. I look back on my entire sixth form years and think ‘Oh God!’ I wore a beanie hat with a bobble on top, it was giving ski season and that’s not really me.”

“I can’t say it’s a fashion thing but everything to do with Dance Monkey and that aesthetic. Cursive singing was the worst thing to happen to human kind.”

“It’s not something that’s super trendy right now but the whole Britney Spears era in full red latex. Also, Christina Aguilerra in ‘Dirrty’. The trend where you’d have music videos where they’d boxing or wrestling for some reason and you get the whole dark club feeling. Also the blood rave in the movie Blade where all the vampires get eaten.”

Name: Dominic
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Social media: @d.om.inic

“Honestly, I’m from Essex so I’m very desensitised to just crazy patterns like leopard print, I wear it all the time. I just love to mix crazy patterns with bold colours to colour block.”

“The crazy Essex ladies who just wear pink everyday, the GC, fake tan, crazy makeup everyday. That was the foundation of my fashion style, I can’t lie.”

“There’s been so many. I wear go-go boots all the time but the ones I get are really cheap and not made very well and the heel broke off in the middle of the day and I had to walk home wobbling on one foot.”

“I don’t really hate that many. I think when everyone was in that football boy haircut in 2011/2012, I’m glad that’s died.”

“I love when people try to recreate the Black Panther look, bring back afros, bring back the black leather look. I also love when people are able to equate that look with vintage clothing as well because it definitely takes me back to all those references. That’s all super fun.”

Name: Pip
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Social media: @gasconnade

“Chaotic.”

“I think Pinterest is my biggest thing. I really like 60s and 70s mod sort of styles. Not that that’s really what I’m wearing but I like a bit of everything really. I used to be really into Audrey Hepburn’s style. So I thought I was going to go in and be the Givenchy style when I was younger, but I’ve sort of evolved into lots of turtlenecks and lots of colourful colours.”

“I think I’ve never had an embarrassing fashion moment, I think all my fashion is beautiful!”

“Low-waisted pants, I know they’re really cool but they just don’t look good on me at all.”

“Shrugs at the moment. I’m wearing one underneath, it’s basically just the sleeves of a jumper. I really like them, I want to make them.”

Name: Jordan
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Social media: @jordanteskey

“Queer and comfy.”

“I used to be really into the punk subculture and I did a lot of research on it. I also listen to a lot of punk folk music. I really like a good fairytale aesthetic. I have a very cute outfit, I call it my frog prince outfit. So kind of a mix between punk and fairytale is kind of what I try to go for.”

“The first thing that came to mind isn’t about me. It’s my brother. We’re both swimmers and he ripped the back of his Speedo seconds before his race. He was in a corner and it ripped against the wall. But it was backstroke so my dad and his coaches said ‘you’re going in!’ He swam his race with his entire butt out. He did well, I think.”

“When people buy crochet from stores because crochet cannot be made by machines, Zara is notorious for it. Also, low-waisted pants. I’m so mad at Y2K making a comeback, it’s going to be around for a while and I’m so angry about it!”

“Thrifting, high-waisted jeans, just people being individual.”

Name: Ludovica
Age: 24
Occupation: Student
Social media: @luvincentii

“My style changes a lot, almost everyday. It depends on my mood. I really love the English style that is very ‘I don’t care’.”

“People I see around London, I don’t really have a celebrity that I’m inspired by, just the people around me.”

“This is hard, there’s been a few times my bra poked out. Just normal fashion mishaps, but I don’t care, it’s not that embarrassing.”

“Low-waisted, I don’t have the right body shape for it.”

“Definitely skirts over jeans.”

Name: Ally
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Social media: @yalliess

“I like funky things. I like everything colourful, fun and comfortable.”

“I’m a dancer and I really like watching dance, so the way people move influences my style and work.”

“Definitely my teenage years and not knowing what my style was. Skinny jeans weren’t a look and I’m terrified of the thought of them potentially coming back but everyone said the same about low-rise.”

“I don’t know if it’s a fashion trend but I don’t like people dressing in those long coats.”

“Activewear is coming back. People combine edgy with sporty and getting active. Health is wealth!”

When it comes to Londoners, the pavement truly is their runway. While the finance bros flock to Canary Wharf in their Schöffel jackets, the Depop girlies head to Brick Lane in Shoreditch to find their latest vintage steal.

With London College of Fashion just around the corner, the iconic pedestrianised Carnaby Street in Soho doubles up as stylish students’ go-to lunch spot. SCREENSHOT popped on the Central line to ask them to dish the dirt on how their impeccable sense of fashion developed.

Name: Jacob West
Age: 26
Occupation: Social media manager
Social Media: @cowboysgetthebblues (Instagram), @geminiszn4ever (TikTok)

“Well, my coworker described it the other day as raw archival. I thought, ‘oh, that’s a big compliment’. In my personal opinion, it’s very boy-next-door. My style icons were the Disney Channel boyfriends. So I have that Orange County, Justin Bieber swoop whole vibe—very chill. I’d definitely describe myself as a tomboy, which is kind of funny because I am, technically, a boy. But I always feel more on the femme side internally. So, I’m just a boy who’s a tomboy.”

“I’d definitely say the late 90s and early 2000s. I used to dress a lot more outrageously and be more into the Paris Hilton aesthetic, but now I’m 26, I’m a bit over the hill. So I decided to mute it down a little bit, and that’s now developed into this boy-next-door look.”

“There’s been a few. I’ve never really felt embarrassed about things I’ve worn because I don’t allow myself to get cringed out but it’s mostly beauty trends, like colourful hair. I had the King Kylie 2014 mermaid hair, it was bad. I used to wear a smudged smokey eye basically every day and, at the time, I was interning at a magazine. So I was going into my pretty buttoned up corporate office and I literally looked like I’d pulled out of the club. Looking back, that was a bit much.”

“Throwaway fashion. I try to shop very consciously and sustainably, not necessarily in terms of only shopping ethical brands, but I shop with a purpose. I hate this trend of buying something for a particular occasion or outfit. Fast fashion, get in the bin!”

“I love that the general masses are becoming more comfortable with dressing a bit outrageously or provocatively. I feel like the masses are cooler now than they were a few years ago, which is probably the influence of TikTok. I admit it’s a bit of a carbon copy of each other but if the trends that are trending are a bit cool I like that, like the kitten heels and baggy jeans, that’s a cool trend.”

Name: Sophia Snowdon
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Social media: @sophiasnowdon (Instagram)

“Bella Hadid, off-duty—super casual, nothing crazy. I’d also say there’s some Scandinavian influence there.”

“I’d have to say Bella Hadid and Scandi influencers again! I also go to London College of Fashion and so I see so much inspiration going there on a daily basis.”

“I think probably fast fashion. I used to wear a lot of SHEIN in the past, which isn’t great. I definitely joined in with all of the lockdown boredom hauls. I look back on it now and it was really awful, but I’ve moved on.”

“Controversial, but I really don’t like the lacy, coquette style. I’m not a fan of it, I can’t get behind it.”

“Baby tees, always, I love it. You can go to Barcelona and get a baby tee, you can go to the shops and get a baby tee. They’re so versatile for spring, summer and winter.”

https://www.tiktok.com/@offtrend.hq/video/7225919419514490139

Name: Ed Poole
Age: 22
Occupation: Social media and healthcare worker
Social media: @cooleopooleo_ (Instagram), @cooleopooleo (TikTok)

“Gay. Fruity. Queer.”

“I really love House of D’Vey on Instagram. I don’t think I’ll ever get to that level of vibes, but they just have such an energy about them and a style that I’m obsessed with. I would love to have that kind of presence one day where someone looks at me and is like ‘wow, that’s what I want’.”

“This is a while back, but I never actually bought my own clothes until I was 17 or 18. I had this bright orange t-shirt that said ‘ginger rules’ and had a gingerbread man on it. I had it for four years, so when I was 17, it was obviously too small. I think someone got it for me when I was fully ginger and I loved it. Now, it’s not the one. It’s not okay. No, absolutely not.”

“I’m just a big hater of skinny jeans. I’m such a comfortable girlie, I need my comfort. I can’t be doing that with skinny jeans. Ripped, skinny jean shorts on boys—no. I’m not saying it’s a red flag… but it’s a big red flag.”

“I really love the silver sunnies that everyone’s got at the moment. I think they’re so cute. Do you know when everyone was 4 years old and had those Spider-Man glasses? It’s the adult version of them and I’m all about that. It’s so cutsie and heals your inner child.”

Name: Rodrigo
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Social media: @rodrigo.f26 (Instagram)

“In one word: black. If it’s not black, it’s dark, dark, dark grey and dark tones. I’ve just got a fully black wardrobe.”

“That’s a hard one. There’s this guy based in Paris and he wears bell bottom jeans with cowboy boots and that’s pretty much what I’ve been going for in the summer. Very 70s.”

“I’d have to say probably anything from before I started dressing in black. Looking back and seeing me wearing white is so strange.”

“I feel like this might be controversial but sneakers. I’m over sneakers, it’s time for loafers and boots. Streetwear has died.”

“It’s gotta be the baby tees.”

Name: Anna-Maria Bagdoshvili
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Social media: @wannabebrunettekatemoss (Instagram)

“I try to be as edgy as possible. When I’m walking down the street I want people to move out of the way. Because I’m naturally so soft on the inside, I want my clothes to intimidate.”

“I follow Rick Owens and I try my best to emulate something that he would like.”

“I interned during fashion week and when we were walking to one of the shows, my heel started to go. It didn’t completely break but it almost did, so I was hobbling along.”

“Parachute pants. I haven’t caved into them yet but I’m scared that I will.”

“Wide leg trousers, that’s all I own.”