Show Time
While the London shows were not the rock'n'roll of usual, designers often hit
the right notes to prove that innovative talent is still a force to be reckoned
with in the international world of fashion.
Designers PPQ, who are quirky but eminently accessible, made their way onto
the London Fashion Week schedule for the first time with a look that is best
described as suburban housewife goes electro. Soft-puff sleeved blouses, ski
pant and nip-waisted jackets showed Percy Parker and Amy Molyneaux are a design
with longevity.
Jen Laugesen, the intellectual Danish designer, showed inside-out tailoring
and oversized sportswear combined to create spacey silhouettes. Big white shirts
with high necks and caped shoulders caught round the hips over narrow-legged
pants, loose tunics over ruched leggings. Buy it at Selfridges or visit Topshop
for Laugesen's new capsule collection.
Ben de Lisi, one of the few American designers on the London catwalks, demonstrated
his ability to create subtle but showstopping glamour and red-carpet potential.
The look was fluid, glamourous and very Mia Farrow in Gatsby, the designer claimed.
20 February 2004
London Fashion Week Kicks Off
London Fashion Week got off to a buzzing start, with the shows and exhibition
drawing fashionistas from both the capitol and abroad.
The traditional champagne reception at the Duke of York Square had buyers and
press alike swarming around the exhibition, with collections such as Madeleine
Press, Tata-Naka, Ashley Isham and Mathew Williamson highlighting the best of
British talent.
Topshop New Generation designers will be presenting their AW/04 collections
at the British Fashion Council tents throughout the week, and P&G Beauty
in conjunction with the high street retailer, have recruited leading model Liberty
Ross for the on-schedule shows. All eyes will be on Bora Aksu, Jens Laugesen,
Jonathan Saunders and Miki Fukai.
This season there are forty catwalk shows over five days, with more than half
taking place in the BFC venue. Show invitations are issued by designers and
public relations team alike, and London Fashion Week buses are available to
take registered buyers and press to and from the shows.
16 February 2004
Show Me Something New
Independent retailers are looking for something different this season. The
mantra from women's and menswear buyers is the same - they want to give their
customers a different choice and they are looking to smaller and new labels
to provide it for them.
The strength that independents have developed - tending to the middle to upper
market, offering trusted brand names and value on quality products - is probably
no longer going to be enough. Shoppers can by into any trend they choose on
the high street for very low prices. The job that independents will have to
perform in future is to give their customers something that they cannot get
elsewhere either quicker or cheaper.
Exhibition organizers are responding to the change as quickly as they can The
Prêt is looking to move the show upmarket and bring in more interesting
collections, almost certainly in response to its loss of exhibitors to the more
directional shows Fresh, Fame and Dome, put on by the same organizer as the
streetwear exhibition.
The idea of finding a niche is not new, and fashion retailing is all about
product and positioning, so independents are not the only retailers looking
to create a point of difference.
4 February 2004
Hamish Pulls Out Of LFW
Designer Hamish Morrow will not show at February's London Fashion Week. The
designer said in a statement that the decision had been due to the "restructuring
of the business…to ensure it survives the transition from small to medium."
He confirmed that he would still produce a collection for autumn 04 and that
it will continue to be sold from Paris.
28 January 2004
Emma Cook Pulls Out Of LFW
Emma Cook will not show during February's London Fashion Week. A spokeswoman
for the designer said the decision to withdraw was taken for personal reasons
and denied it was related to sponsorship. Cook has received New Generation sponsorship
from Topshop for the past three seasons, which is the maximum entitlement for
the scheme.
26 January 2004
LFW Round-up
That London Fashion Week is still a force to be reckoned with is obvious. Playing
host to some truly international creative talent, the London fashion scene remains
as influential as ever from the catwalk to the high street.
With designers such as Sophia Kokosalaki, Katharine Hamnett, Sass & Bide
and Jasper Conran showing some of their best collections to date, it proves
that home-grown talent can still be nurtured in an international competitive
climate.
While
New York may be playing host to Mathew Williamson and Roland Mouret, and Paris
to Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, London is by no means a b-list city
on the international fashion map. It is true that much of our talent go abroad
for design consultancies and placements in international fashion houses, but
that is greatly due to the demand of the technical and creative skills of our
designers. The international press seem to hover around mainland Europe and
The States, sometimes forfeiting LFW, but it is London which sets the pace for
new designers and a forward inspired fashion. Nowhere else on the planet can
the diversity be found that is seen in the London shops and on the British streets.
In Milan, for example, where the Italian greats nab up our fresh-out-of-St.
Martins graduates, everybody seems to dress the same. There is a newness and
an excitement missing, which we take for granted in London.
One of the problems of London competing on the same scale as New York, Paris
and Milan, is that our well established houses are greatly outnumbered by those
in other cities. The other fact remaining that those houses that do compete
on similar level have decided to show abroad, i.e. Burberry, and in previous
seasons Paul Smith. With Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Diane
von Furstenberg dominating New York, YSL, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy claiming
Paris, and the Italian masters showing in Milan, London does not operate on
this same scale. More renowned for our technical expertise, like Savile Row,
and our creative geniuses like Galliano and McQueen, the sheer number of a fashion
house per se is limited, and therefore cannot attract a similar following.
Previously the pound kept many important buyers from visiting Britain with
the cost of buying products being too high for competitive selling. With prices
now stabilizing amongst a European market this is now being less of a problem.
The euro inflation has created an equilibrium with wholesale prices of British
brands.
There will always be a market for cutting edge fashion, the same as there will
always be a city which other cities look up to. Whether or not Anna Wintour
sits on the front row of Sophia's Kokosalaki's show is thankfully irrelevant.
The inspiration lives on and judging by the international collections abroad,
from Marc Jacobs to Cocoppani, British fashion is everywhere, even if sometimes
solely in spirit.
1 Oct 2003
Don-Alvin Adegeest
London A Place for Pattern
Colorful prints were the theme of the London spring/summer 04 shows and have
become an important element in British design. For all the patterns of the shows,
they are strikingly different, from Hamish Morrow's graphic-check sportswear,
to Eley Kishimoto's bold diagonal stripes and polka dot bandanas.
Patterns in fashion seems to be a British heritage. The Ossie Clarke exhibition
at the V&A of his 60s & 70s designs shows that geometric intrigue isn't
a fascination of late. A 1920s art deco exhibition held at the same museum shares
the same geometric spirit. At this season's shows, British design talent showed
how patterns can we worked in different ways
The Burberry check and Pringle diamond have, in a best-of-British way become
household brands and are distinctly recognized around the globe. Pringle designer
Stuart Stockwell used the signature looks and flirted with bright colours on
diamond flapper dresses.
If this is the fashion moment where wearing plain black is the antithesis of
fashion, the question to ask is what makes a great print? A love of drawing,
colour and balance, quips Eley Kishimoto designer Wakako Kishimoto. While wearing
a bold pattern is not easiest of affairs, it is all about the way it moves on
the body and uplifts the spirit.
26 September 2003
LFW Venue in Doubt As Residents Complain
London Fashion Week may have to move house again next season from the King's
Road Duke of York's Headquarters after residents complained to the local authority
that the event had disrupted the area.
Residents nearby are understood to have submitted a long list of complaints
to the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. These are thought to include
the noise levels involved during the set up of the British Fashion Council's
tents and during evening events, problems with parking around the area throughout
the week and various issues surrounding the obstruction of residents' views.
The BFC and Cadogan Estates, developer of the Duke of York Square shopping
area adjacent to the LFW venue, have submitted an application to renew the council's
consent to hold LFW.
A spokeswoman for the BFC said: "We are waiting to see what restrictions
and stipulations the residents can impose before we see if the Duke of York
Square is still a viable option for LRW. We are trying to grow LFW and this
is not helping."
A final decision about where next February's LFW will be held will not be made
until Christmas.
24 September 2003
Paul Smith Flutters At London Fashion Week
Paul Smith launched his spring/summer womenswear collection yesterday and introduced
a new line, called Paul Smith Pink. The models, who included Elizabeth Jagger
and Jacquetta Wheeler, stepped onto a catwalk strewn with butterfly motifs,
and showed off colourful patchwork silk slip dresses, pretty florals, clashing
stripes and butterfly prints. All paired with forties-style shoes and brightly
coloured socks.
In one of his strongest collections in recent seasons, Sir Paul, whose trademark
classic with a twist is a hit worldwide, continues to be one of our most successful
designers with stores in Paris, Milan, Taipei, and Hong Kong.
23 September 2003
Hazlems Fenton To Show At LFW
Chartered accountants Hazlems Fenton will show at the London Designers Exhibition
for the third time during this season's London Fashion Week. The Company will
offer free financial advice to designer exhibitors and visitors.
For more information visit www.londonfashionweek.co.uk.
22 September 2003
Diane von Furstenberg, spring/summer 2004 |
Luella Bartley
spring/summer 2004 |
New York Report
With New York fashion week coming to a close it is hard to resist the beautiful
new collections that were on the catwalk for next season. For the first time
since 9/11 the vibe was back in New York to prove it is indeed one of the great
fashion capitols of the world.
Marc Jacobs, spring/summer 2004 |
Highlights of the week were Diane Von Furstenberg who pulled in a star studded
crowd for a very feminine and commercial spring summer 04 collection. The theme
of urban glamour was mixed with a hint of sex & the city with an array of
beautiful floaty chiffon dresses. Slinky jersey for evening and abstract Egyptian
ibis motifs for prints. Proenza Schouler, who showed outside the tents at the
North Pavilion, is best described as a "sporty but fragile" collection,
with nautical looks and Chanel-inspired black and white tweed jackets.
Perhaps the most anticipated show (and the hottest) was Marc Jacobs at the
Armoury. Keeping his press and buyers waiting for almost an hour in the unbearable
heat, he showed a collection that was commercial and wearable; focusing on relaxed
tailoring, floral dresses, velvet skirts in blue, green and coral hues and menswear-tailored
trousers that didn't disappoint. Equally well-attended was the after-party at
the newly opened Maritime Hotel in the fashionable meatpacking district, where
the models and stars danced to electro-pop in the ship's hull inspired hotel
basement.
Brit designer Luella Bartley changed locations at the last minute and turnout
was less than expected. When the show was further delayed, Hilary Alexander,
infamous fashion editor of The Daily Telegraph, shunned the New York non-smoking
law and was seen lighting a cigarette. Bartley's designs were floaty and breezy
and moved away from her neon prints of the current season. With a handbag collection
that is quickly gaining cult status, she is proving a force to be reckoned with.
Don-Alvin Adegeest
18 September 2003
Amanda Garrett At London Fashion Week
Australian designer Amanda Garrett is to show her spring 04 collection during
London Fashion Week (September 20-25).
The range has a 1920s feel with silk chiffon and beading.
For more information on Amanda Garrett at London Fashion Week visit www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
8 September 2003
Graduate Fashion Week Battles for Funds
Alexa Fell, Reading College |
Graduate Fashion Week has been building the UK's creative reputation through
its annual event for 12 years. At the same time, the UK's 91 fashion programmes
have been battling to find funds to cope with increasing student numbers.
Last year 4,074 students were accepted on UK fashion courses, according to
the University and Colleges Admission Service. A significant increase on the
1,502 applicants in 1998. With budgets stretched it is becoming more difficult
for colleges offering relevant fashion degrees to find the funds to show at
Graduate Fashion Week.
Nicola Wood accurately states without specific government funding, lack of
support from the Department of Trade and Industry support and no aid from the
Design Council or British Fashion Council, the GFW faces more obstacles in its
aim to showcase the UK's design talent. Money, or the lack of it, is at the
heart of the issue.
Set up 12 years ago by designer Jeff Banks, fashion recruitment specialist
Vanessa Denza and show producer John Walford, GFW fulfilled the need to create
a unified platform in London where fashion graduates from all over the UK could
show their work. Over the years it has become a renowned event for young designers
to market themselves to the industry, attracting business interest and offers
of employment.
The proof of success is impressive: 80 per cent of Louis Vuitton designers
graduated from UK design courses, 65 per cent of the Levi's design team are
British-trained and the list goes on. Christopher Bailey, for example, went
from GFW winner to head designer at Burberry.
Despite the ideals, industry critics say it does not represent all the UK's
fashion graduate talents and not all degree courses are represented. Furthermore,
the dependence on corporate sponsorship is possible compromising the event.
Colleges outside London are more likely to attract sponsorship from local businesses
and therefore showcase local.
That money is a major issue is a fact confirmed by event director June Barker,
who says: "We endeavour to deliver, within the constrains of balancing
books and sponsorship, a professional theatre for our next generation of designer.
And we are increasingly conscious of the constraints of education funding on
smaller colleges. But we are looking to develop GFW with that in mind."
23 June 2003
Graduate Fashion Week Underway
Final
year students at London College of Fashion proved that it is possible to make
the most of a few minutes in the spotlight and still produce mostly wearable
clothes at their degree show on the first day of Graduate Fashion Week.
With about 1,000 students showing their ideas on the catwalk and at the exhibition
in Battersea Park, there is always a danger of being overlooked by prospective
employers seeking the next Stella McCartney or Alexander McQueen. And with only
a handful of opportunities on offer from the more prestigious fashion labels,
catching the attention without resorting to over-the-top theatrics can be difficult
to pull off.
Tomomi Asai's quirky collection managed just that by taking the line that a
girl can never have too many accessories.
Rika Shioya added touches of eastern glamour to her collection of six stark
black dresses by adding touches of bright kimono fabric.
Aleksandra Stasic's vibrant print collection was inspired by the Eighties (as
pictured).
Sponsored by Top Shop, Graduate Fashion Week unites 30 colleges from all over
Britain and culminates in a gala award show on Thursday. British fashion students
are the most sought after in the world, making up the majority among design
teams of international fashion houses - 80 per cent of the designers at Louis
Vuitton graduated from Britain.
4 June 2003
Miniskirts thrive at London fashion week
Less is more, seems to be the general motto at the London Fashion Week. Miniskirts,
just barely skimming the buttocks, have featured in just about every show. They
were teamed with stilettos and bare legs (brrrr…).
Elspeth Gibson, who invited celebrities including Madonna, Elizabeth Hurley
and Cate Blanchett, sent her models down the catwalk in a series of dreamy yet
sophisticated gowns in both washed-out hues of pink and blue, and vibrant jades
and peacock. Her "Vision of Eden" collection featured plenty of her
trademark beading with delicate, floaty dresses dripping with crystals and feathers.
On Sunday, Sadie Frost en Jenima Frost also turned some heads with their show.
They recalled the fashion pack to BAFTA on Piccadilly for a special screening
of her autumn/winter 2003 collection - on film. Entitled Enchantment, the show
was set in a circus tent, with Helena Christensen playing narrator. The clothes
were sexy and sassy, but they were not the star of the show.
On Monday, Clements Ribeiro did his first catwalk show for three seasons. Husband
and wife team Inacio Ribeiro and Suzanne Clements presented a autumn/winter
2003 collection of misleadingly simple pieces - mini jumper dresses, round-collared
Jackie O box jackets, yoke-necked splatter-patterned tunics, and bright, flirty,
abstract artworks which all had a Sixties feel.
February 19, 2003
www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
Fashion circus moves to London
This Sunday the fashion frenzy will break loose when the London Fashion Week
commences. With about 50 catwalk shows and several presentations planned during
a 5 day period, London will play centre stage for the global fashion industry.
LFW is assured to show until 2006 now that it has secured a sponsorship deal
with P&G Beauty for 10 seasons. In 1994, there were only 15 shows/presentation
in London, which grew to nearly 60 shows in 2002.
The London Designer's Exhibition has also grown from 50 in 1994 to 130 in 2002.
Showing will be the like of Julien Macdonald, Fake London, John Rocha and Ben
De Lisi.
With the 'New Generation' shows sponsored by Top Shop, upcoming designers have
a venue to exhibit their talents. For Fall 2003, Emma Cook, House of Jazz, Jens
Laugesen, Kim Jones, Rafael Lopes and Warren Noronha were selected as the the
New Generation Designers. They have been given financial support to show their
Fall 2003 collections at the catwalk.
London Fashion Week will be held at the Duke of York Headquarters in Chelsea
from Feb 16-19, 2003.
February 15, 2003
www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
Massive interest for Fashion Week-website
The official London Fashion Week website (www.londonfashionweek.co.uk)
saw a massive increase in interest leading up to, and during the week, running
from the 13th to the 17th of September. Recent Hitwise statistics showed that
in terms of visits to the site, the London Fashion Week site saw a 360% increase
in its market share of all Internet visits. This resulted in its ranking in
the competitive Lifestyle - Fashion category going from a lowly 150th position
to peak at number 10 on the opening day of Fashion Week. Another key metric
showed that 5.5% of all visitors bookmarked the site on 13th September 2002,
indicating their intention to re-visit. The website provided daily designer
reports, scheduling, stockists of new season clothes, and general information
about the Buyers Fashion Exhibition.
www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
10-2-02
London kicks off international fashion circuit
London Fashion Week will take up residence from September at The Duke of York's
Headquarters on the fashionable King's Road in Chelsea. The UK's premier fashion
event has grown enormously over the past few years and the move to the new site
will enable the exhibition to be set out on one floor. London Fashion Week is
set to kick off the international fashion circuit this season in deference to
New York who were unable to show in their usual slot due to the first anniversary
of the disasters of 9/11.
HRH, The Princess Royal, in her role as president of UK Fashion Exports will
be visiting designers and members exhibiting at London Fashion Week on Monday
16th September.
The Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, will attend on Sunday 15th September and
will give a short address on his plans for supporting Fashion and the Creative
Industries in London.
Finally Department of Trade and Industry Minister for Competitiveness, Stephen
Timms MP, whose Department give substantial financial support to London Fashion
Week, will be visiting The London Designers Exhibition on the morning on 17
September.
The largest ever New Generation Designers group sponsored by Topshop and supported
by the DTI will again be a highlight of the exhibition. In addition, the new
site will accommodate two show venues - the BFC Tent, a traditional 80ft runway
and the BFC Square, a new contemporary structure in pure white with a versatile
seating layout.
P&G Beauty are sponsoring five leading catwalk designer showrooms at The
London Designers Exhibition, 13 - 17 September. The designer showrooms chosen
by the LFW Advisory Panel, will feature the collections of Antoni & Alison,
Boudicca, Julien Macdonald, Markus Lupfer and Roland Mouret.
09-12-08
www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
Gearing up for New York Fashion Week
The New York fashion crowd is gearing up for what promises to be the most hectic,
hellish and angst-ridden New York Fashion Week ever, with the usual eight-day
schedule crammed into five and a half days from September 17 to 22 in an effort
to avoid September 11 memorials.
"This is the most difficult season I have ever had," says Fashion
Calendar publisher Ruth Finley, who's been scheduling show season here for the
past 40 years. "There's an unprecedented amount of overlapping, and it's
a real problem."
Finley says she usually has to deal with one or two conflicts a season, but
that this time around there are 30-odd designers showing on top of one
another.
The big smack down will be on Thursday evening, with four shows - Girls Rule,
Francis Hendy, Anand Jon and Allegra Hicks - all scheduled for 6 p.m., and five
shows - BCBG, Mary Ping, William Reid, Michael & Hushi and F. Wayne - all
slated for 7.
Brits showing here this season in prime positions include Luella Bartley, Matthew
Williamson, Philip Treacy and Lulu Guinness. "Then you have some of
the big designers doing two or three shows in a day and tying up all the models,"
Padilha notes.
The high number of new designers showing for the first time - a bold move considering
the current economic climate, further strains the
schedule. "There are 12 to 15 designers showing I'd never even heard of
before this season," Finley says.
Among the first-timers are James Thomas, Yuma Topeka, Esteban Cortezar and something
called Fashion Monster.
08-18-02