LFW: Location Location Location

It's that time of year again, when the £28 billion UK fashion industry shows the world what it's got. From production companies to casting directors, make-up artists to models, invite distribution to celebrity attendance, there are innumerable factors and figures involved that have to be finely tuned before the first look hits the catwalk - and the crucial common denominator that all else rests on? The location of the show.

This season it is a particularly hot topic, as the British Fashion Council moves its central show space from Somerset House where it has enjoyed a five-year stint in "the tents" to Brewer Street Car Park in the centre of Soho. It was an invitation that wasn't accepted lightly, but one that was enthusiastically embraced by BFC CEO Caroline Rush and her team once they were satisfied that they could make it work.

"It ticks all the boxes of being walking distance to many of the magazines and department store head offices; it's really connected to Oxford Street and the high-street stores that the UK is so well known for; and it's not far from Mount Street, where we have all the stars of fashion week starting to open their stores," she explains of the new venue that has raised questions about how the narrow streets of Soho will handle the influx of chauffeur-driven cars.

For the record, there have been lengthy conversations with Westminster Council regarding traffic management, Rush says, as well as other contingency planning and exit strategising. Of the new space - which is a functional car park when not being taken over by the fashion pack - she assures us that it will only enhance the experience for all involved.

"The brilliant thing about Brewer Street is that we'll be able to have natural light coming in through the roof which is something we've never been able to do with a tented structure," she continued. "Another added benefit in being able to do this is that we will also have the designer showrooms - a really great edited exhibition of ready-to-wear and accessories - all on one floor which is easy to navigate. That was always a problem at Somerset House. It's the most beautiful space, but if you start in one corner of the courtyard its very easy to lose your way once you're inside."

Visibility, of course, is key. As Rush points out, it's important to remember that London Fashion Week is a trade event, so while much of the outside media is concerned with what the street stylers and the front row is wearing, if fashion houses don't get their audiences to see what the models are wearing, it's all for nothing - and that's where the schedule plays a crucial role.

Not everyone wants to show in the BFC's venue - nor would it be logistically possible. Apart from wanting to find a venue that isn't the same as anyone else, a lot of designers want their setting to match that season's aesthetic, as Louise Trotter, creative director of  Joseph says, "Every season is different - the venue reflects the mood of the collection, the girl and the season and in general we look for an intimate venue with a specific atmosphere which fits those needs."

Regardless of the postcode, however, any savvy designer will try and position themselves as close as possible to the previous show to maximise the potential for a full house - a tactic especially important for a smaller brand if its allotted time follows one of "the big ones".

"It's something that we consider every season to make things a little bit easier for everyone," says Barbara Casaola, who will show at the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park, straight after Burberry Prorsum which will once again take up its seasonal spot in Kensington Gore. "Guests can literally walk from the previous show to our space in a minute."

"The first thing I always think about is location, I want to make sure that guests don't get stressed," agrees Paula Gerbase of 1205, whose show is in the fortunate position of always falling after JW Anderson."He always shows in Bloomsbury so it's a safe bet," she laughs.

For major players like Burberry and JW Anderson - that latter of whom keeps choosing his Bloomsbury location because "it's a building we like to keep transforming" - tactical location may be less of an issue, but there are still other factors to consider.

"There are only a certain number of venues in central London large enough to house our show so it's important that we start the search early," explains Kate Phelan, creative director at Topshop  which hosts a number of shows (as well as its own Topshop Unique show) in its space. 

"There are so many considerations when looking for the perfect venue," she continues, which besides making sure it has a capacity of over 700 and is reflective of the brand's current aesthetic, "also has to represent a London landmark, whether that's a garden square or the Tate Britain, to echo our unique positioning on the British high street." This season the Queen Elizabeth II Centre on the Southbank will take the honour.
There are only a certain number of venues in central London large enough to house our show so it's important that we start the search earlyKate Phelan, Topshop creative director

Every brand, big or small, must wait for the schedule to come out and while very few amendments are made between one fashion week and the next, it is risky to confirm a venue without having a confirmed slot.

"We have constant dialogue with people about where they sit on the schedule, who their adjacencies are before and after, and where their location is. On top of that we also have to factor in the production and PR companies because they often find it hard to do back-to-back shows. It's an intricate puzzle of trying to make it fit together," explains Rush.

"We try and ask designers, if they can, to show within a mile radius of the central location. Quite often people fall in love with a place and they want to convey that to an audience who has already been to seven shows that day and who doesn't want to travel any more than 15-20 minutes to the next. If they have to get in a car for an hour to the other side of town and another hour back, you understand why sometimes guests say, 'Actually I'd rather skip that show', which is a real shame because the designers invest a huge amount of money into putting in on."

For a creative mind it's easy to see why it can be frustrating. Gerbase, for example, humorously cites Dartmoor as her dream location (although readily accepts the unlikelihood of a fashion dash down to south Devon and back), while Lulu Kennedy, founder of  Fashion East says she would have her designers show closer to home if she could.

"The historical East is where my heart is," she told us wistfully. "I'm constantly riled by the fact that I can't show at Truman's [where Fashion East started out] as there are lovely churches around the corner. In the old days, when the schedule wasn't so busy, we'd just show where we wanted and people would always make the effort to come over."

With the schedule packed as it is, everyone - including Kennedy - knows that complying is a clever move and so it falls to the PR companies to make what may look like mission impossible, possible.

"I choose places that are aesthetically close to my work. Some venues that I have chosen would definitely not be the PR's favourite," smiles Gerbase. Fellow designer Emilia Wicksteadagrees that her venues have "a lot to do with suiting the collection".

"The designers we work with are really open with us," says Daniel Marks, director and co-founder of The Communication Store which looks after both 1205 and Emilia Wickstead. "It's rare that we would say no to a designer's desired venue. We would make recommendations, but if a designer has a clear creative idea then it is ultimately their decision and our job to make it work. 

There's always a compromise between accessibility and the look and feel. We try and choose venues with no lifts as the exit is so important in London. It's really busy and people want to get out as quickly as possible. We have to manage the situation efficiently but sometimes the venue is so beautiful we have to make it work and ask for a little patience from everyone attending."

A further logistical element involves the models who, like the audiences, will sometimes go to back-to-back shows. It's something that is minimised as much as possible through communication with casting directors, but can ultimately affect the location, says Marks. "Designers make sure that they are conveniently located - relatively close - to people that they might be sharing girls with."

"Some shows have complicated hair and make-up and it needs to be washed out - when the models arrive at the same time as the press then we run late," says Julian Vogel, founder of Modus PR, which counts Pringle of Scotland, Margaret Howell and JS Lee among its LFW clients. "We try not to book models that are in the show before to avoid this, but sometimes if it's a designer's favourite girl it can't be avoided. It's the designer's job to inspire and then our job to make it happen," he says. 

"For some shows, the casting directors will ask for exclusivity with the models for the whole day, so you also don't want to be on the same day as them since you limit your chances of getting the girls that you want." Remember that intricate puzzle that Rush spoke of?

But so far we have just addressed the official schedule. London is famed for giving birth to new and emerging talent and offers hundreds of presentations over the five days that aren't on the official schedule and for these designers location is even more important. As a result, there are certain tricks of the trade used to entice a heavy footfall.

"There are a lot of designers who haven't made it onto the official schedule, so they wait and see which designer doesn't share their customer base to decide when and where to hold their show," says Vogel. "It can be frustrating for them as for some freelancers or smaller teams it's not possible to get everywhere. LFW is a victim of its own success in many ways. Some of the smaller designers starting out may see if they can find somewhere small across the road from an popular show and take advantage of that," he reveals. "We've done that in seasons before and it's worked."

Others take advantage of the longer running times a presentation affords to make sure people have time to see their collection - for example Toga,  who is holding its first catwalk show on Wednesday, credits the two season's-worth of presentations with "increasing our recognition in the UK and Europe" - while another tactic is to bring emerging and established designers together. That way if invitees do find time to take a break from the BFC's schedule, then they see more than one collection.

"For our emerging designers it's great to be able to offer them a space and help pool their resources and contacts," says Stephen Lawton of The Wolves, which has a number of budding fashion houses on its books and this season hired Elms Lesters Painting Rooms as a communal space. 

"Edeline Lee for example, is on the main schedule for the first time and wanted to present her collection in a strong and central location which Elms Lesters is perfect for at less than a 10-minute walk from Brewer Street. She will be sharing the space with Vielma London which will help bring a new designer to the attention of the press. It's great that Edeline, an already experienced designer, can help a newer brand in this way too."

Designers can, of course, eliminate the need to consider any of the above and give everyone the chance of seeing their collection by holding a digital fashion show, as London designer Zoe Jordan has done this season from her current base in New York.

"I love architecture, interiors and finding the right spot to convey the season's message, but there are many designers trying to find the same perfect spot for the same days. It can be hard and no-one in our industry likes to compromise," she laughs. "I completely understand the challenges of translating fabrics on film, but in reality, unless you are in the very front row, it can still be hard to see. People shop online for clothes all the time and screen interface doesn't seem to dissuade them," she says, though she readily admits, "I don't think that there is one right way. It depends on the brand and the collection. What I think is exciting is that it's opening the field for more talent."

Making it possible to discover new talent is what it's all about after all. Wherever a collection is shown, in whatever format, everyone is striving for exactly the same thing - to bring a world of creativity, beauty and innovation to as many people as possible, but it is the shaving off 10 minutes of travel time here, avoiding a lift there, and spending hours seeking out venues and poring over traffic management plans that ultimately makes it all happen. Now on with the shows.