LFW: Theresa May's Warm Welcome

Theresa May welcomed the British fashion industry to Number 10 Downing Street last night, ahead of the first London Fashion Week under her premiership kicking off today. At the reception, May told guests of the high esteem in which she holds the industry.

“British fashion is of huge importance to our country, contributing £28 billion to the UK economy and supporting nearly 900,000 jobs," she told guests, who included Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman, British Fashion Council chairman Natalie Massenet, and previous BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund winners. "I was delighted to welcome representatives from across the industry to Downing Street ahead of London Fashion Week - which is one of the biggest and most influential fashion events in the world."

In addition to editors, executives and designers, May also invited apprentices, scholarship winners and graduate trainees who are carving out a fashion career.

"From our home-grown start-ups to international fashion houses – every business in the industry will play a major role in ensuring we make a success of Brexit," she said. "By taking advantage of the opportunities that leaving the EU gives us and playing to our strengths as a great trading nation - we can build a fairer economy that works for all, not just the privileged few."

"The Government I lead will do everything we can, including providing the right investment in training and skills, to help everyone, whatever people’s backgrounds, to go as far as their talents can take them," May said. “I am proud to say that our British fashion industry is a global leader in trade, creativity and innovation. The value of UK fashion exports was £5.8 billion in 2015 with British brands such as Burberry, Alexander McQueen and Sophia Webster in demand by international markets including the USA, Japan, France and Italy."

May - who took office in July after David Cameron's resignation following the EU Referendum, which saw the UK vote to leave the European Union - offered reassuring words to those who might be concerned about the effect Britain's departure might have on elements of their businesses.

May's words echo those of the BFC's CEO Caroline Rush, who said yesterday that "we have a point to prove to our guests that the vote to leave the EU doesn't mean we're going to end our international

"This is the first international event on our shores since the EU vote and it's definitely sparked a lot of interest from all over the world," Rush continued. "People want to know if London feels different. We need to send them a clear message that London is open to outsiders and the UK is a place of business opportunity."

Today, the BFC launched its #LondonIsOpen campaign, supported by London mayor Sadiq Khan. Khan reiterated May and Rush's optimism about the British fashion industry as it embarks on its spring/summer 2017 - and in see-now, buy-now cases autumn/winter 2016 - showcase.

"London Fashion Week begins today, showing that London is open to the world and is an international leader of creativity and entrepreneurship," said Khan. "There’s a fantastic range of designers and talent on the schedule this season, highlighting the very best the industry has to offer – from big brands to independent retailers, the London fashion scene has never been more diverse."

Why Kane Wants To Dress Clinton

Christopher Kane has revealed that he would like to see presidential candidate Hillary Clinton wearing his designs.

"She's good with colour," he told the Evening Standard, adding that he would like to see her in one of his "Lurex twinsets with a classic trouser and a nice heel". In the interview, the Scottish designer laid bare his hopes that the former first lady will pip her controversial rival, Donald Trump, to the post come the elections in November.

"I hope Hillary wins," he said. "She's a grafter and will meditate on things. Trump will just press the button."

Kane, who is prepping to show his spring/summer 2017 collection at London Fashion Week on Monday, also revealed his thoughts on the growing presence of social media in the fashion industry, lamenting the lack of privacy it affords.

"Fashion has become more accessible and that's great, but it can also be destructive. I think it's good to have a bit of mystery," he said. "Growing up I loved Gianni and Donatella and Helmut Lang, but I didn't know where they were going on holiday or who they were sleeping with."

Gigi New York's Legal Warning To Tommy Hilfiger

Off the back of Tommy Hilfiger's star-studded, fairground-themed extravaganza in New York last week, the fashion house is facing the potential of legal action from a fellow American brand.

Leather goods label Gigi New York has issued a cease and desist letter over the Tommy X GiGi collection - the brand's collaboration with Gigi Hadid, which debuted on the runway last week. It became available to buy immediately following the show as part of Tommy Hilfiger's move to see-now, buy-now.

"GiGi New York issued a cease and desist order to Tommy Hilfiger last week after discovering the misuse of its mark on product and in marketing of handbags in Tommy Hilfiger's autumn/winter 2016 collection," a statement released by Gigi New York asserted. "Recognising the obvious potential for consumer confusion, GiGi New York requested that Tommy Hilfiger cease and desist its misuse and work in partnership to prevent consumer confusion based on the misuse."

Revealing where the alleged issue lies in Hadid's collaborative collection, it continued, "GiGi New York's mark utilises a unique upper and lower case treatment that Tommy Hilfiger has copied, causing additional consumer confusion, despite this typographical treatment having no history of use by its spokesperson, Gigi Hadid."

"Tommy Hilfiger has notified GiGi New York that they do not intend to recognise their rights in GiGi's trademarked logo and are not concerned about the consumer confusion engendered by their misuse," the statement read.

The handbag brand claims to have had common law property rights since 2010 and to "own federal trademarks for its 'GIGI' family of marks. Similar trademarks are held throughout Europe, and GiGi New York is positioned to defend them on both continents." Tommy Hilfiger has been contacted for comment.

Zandra Rhodes Creates Archive Collection

Zandra Rhodes has unveiled her archive-inspired exclusive collaboration with MatchesFashion.com today and, as expected, it is as fabulous as the designer herself. Paying homage to 10 of her most famous dresses, which were worn in their heyday by everyone from rock stars to royalty, their 2016 reincarnations offer a luxurious reminder of the women that wore them first.

"The Zandra Archive Collection resonates with our customers as they appreciate Zandra’s importance in fashion history and recognise that these pieces were worn by many iconic women in the past," Natalie Kingham, Matchesfashion.com's buying director told us. Here, the woman herself tells us how the collaboration came about.

How did it feel to revisit your own archive?

I've archived nearly every piece from every collection I've done, I have them around me all the time in my London atelier, they are all like my children in a way. Working with the stylist Grace Woodward on this made looking back at my work feel different, her enthusiasm and modern take inspired me to look again, it didn't feel contrived. We've worked together on the whole collection, people wearing my clothes, bringing their own energy to them has always given a huge amount of inspiration. This is why all the pieces in my collection are named after women who have been pivotal to my career - Princess Diana, Diana Ross, Diana Vreeland - who made me in a way. There are so many amazing women imbued in my work.

Is this something you’ve wanted to do for some time?

I've talked about it a few times with some great people but it just never felt progressive before as it does now. I have exactly the right team in place to do it to our best ability, this - partnered with Matchesfashion.com and their digital trunk shows - has allowed me to do the bits I love best about my work and allows me to work at a pace that is respectful to my atelier, my craft and the environment.

Why did now feel like the right time to recreate?

Even though I print in a very traditional way, I feel technology makes the whole thing feel different. For me it feels fresher, not just doing the same old, selling the same clothes in the same way. The Bohemian vibe seems to be the look that's now established as beyond a micro trend and I just kept seeing things that reminded me of my work everywhere. Because I translate my creativity through print, ultimately clothes are my canvas. I've always wanted people to think they were buying into a piece of wearable art. Now, I see my pieces at auction or on specific collectors sites like 1stDibs, as with art I felt like doing editions were right for my work specifically.

Which archive piece is your favourite?

It wasn't easy to choose just the 10, there's enough for quite a few of these collections if I'm honest. One of my favourite prints though is Star Wars, which features on the skirt of the Frida Dress, with a Mexican collection circular print on the top. I think mixing my prints and how they are placed on the body is what makes my work uniquely mine. The Diana Dress is very special as it's such a limited edition. There has only been one before now, as it was a collaboration with the Princess and myself, that one is on permanent display at Kensington Palace in the Style Rules Redefined exhibition. We've altered the shade of cherry-blossom pink slightly in respect for the original, but it feels meaningful to be able to not only celebrate such a great woman but an amazing time in my career.

What is your personal favourite fashion era?

As a designer, I look backwards and forwards for inspiration. My aim is always to create something that is unique to my signature, I've designed what myself and my muses want to wear at that time. As a creative, I read everything that's going on and translate it in the only way I know how, being Zandra Rhodes! I can't really choose, that's like saying what's your favourite record or piece of art, so many amazing things happened to me in the decades we cover in the Archive Collection. All my favourite things are covered in there.

The Summer DressWhite silk-chiffon, originally made in 1977 and worn by Donna Summer for her Once Upon A Time video in 1977.

The Frilly Circle DressWhite silk-chiffon, originally from 1984, shot by Barry Lategan for Vogue in 1974.

The Cleveland DressSunray pleated gold lamé, originally from 1977, and worn by Pat Cleveland to Studio 54 in 1977.

The Knitted Circle DressBlack silk-chiffon, originally from 1969, and worn by Natalie Wood in Vogue in 1970.

The Manhattan DressBlack silk-chiffon.

The Manhattan DressRed silk-chiffon.

The Grace DressBlack silk-chiffon, worn by Grace Coddington when shot by Guy Bourdin for Vogue in 1971.

The Grace DressBlack silk-chiffon, worn by Grace Coddington when shot by Guy Bourdin for Vogue in 1971.

The Frida DressDusky-pink silk-chiffon, originally from 1976.

The Diana DressCherry-blossom silk-chiffon, worn by Princess Diana on her tour of Japan in 1986.

Chanel Returns To The Ritz

Chanel’s 2016 Metiers D'Art show will be held at The Ritz Hotel, Paris, this December, the brand confirmed this morning.

The announcement highlights the long-established link between the illustrious hotel - which reopened in June after a four-year renovation - and the French fashion house, whose founder, Coco Chanel, famously made the hotel her home for over 30 years. The second-floor, 2024 sq m suite in which she stayed, that boasts views over the Place Vendôme, bears her name to this day.

The fashion house is famous for using its December extravaganza to relate back to key eras and defining moments of the house's history. Last year, it took over the iconic Cinecittà film studios in Rome and created a black-and-white Parisian square for the models to stroll around, inviting attendees to become a part of the set.

"These shows have indeed evolved and are now becoming a key moment for us in terms of expressing our core values of creativity and craftsmanship, but also in terms of business development and strategy," Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel's CEO, told us at the time. "These collections are momentous for us as they not only honour our know-how but also the relationship that Mademoiselle Chanel had personally with these specific locations, or the importance this city has for us and our future development."

Tamara Mellon Sues Jimmy Choo

Tamara Mellon has filed a lawsuit against Jimmy Choo, the company that she co-founded in the mid-Nineties.

In the civil suit, she alleges that her former employer “set out to punish her by effectively helping themselves to an indefinite ‘extension’ of the one year non-compete provision,” after she launched her own brand, reports People.

The complaint, which was made in a New York state court last week, claims that Jimmy Choo threatened to remove its business from shoe manufacturers if they worked with Mellon or any brand affiliated with her, The Business of Fashion reported. The designer - who left the label in 2011 and insists that she adhered to a one-year non-compete agreement before starting her own business in 2013 - asserted that this resulted in these footwear factories boycotting her new brand.

Tamara Mellon Brand LLC filed for bankruptcy at the end of last year which, according to Mellon, was due to Jimmy Choo's interference. In January, she emerged from a 60-day period of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, putting her label back on the fashion landscape.

Speaking to us this morning, a representative for Jimmy Choo said: "This case is without merit and will be vigorously contested.” Tamara Mellon has been contacted for comment.

H&M And Kenzo's Diversely Different Reveal

Few collaborations evoke such speculation and hype as H&M’s designer partnerships, the yearly high-street, high-end mash-up that has well and truly earned its place on the fashion calendar.

This year has seen Kenzo’s Carol Lim and Humberto Leon embark on the challenge – the fruits of which are almost ready to be unveiled to the public - and it seems that they were both clear on what the focus of their collection should be from the start.

“It’s very, very diverse,” Lim revealed to us, at an intimate launch dinner on the candlelit rooftop of Kenzo’s Parisian headquarters - as Lim described, she and Leon wanted to “create a once in a life time experience” for their guests. That they did - Massimo Bottura, the renowned 3-Michelin star chef behind Rome’s Osteria Francescana (2016’s number one restaurant in the world), was flown in to cater a sumptuous 10-course feast.

“We could have gone down the safe route in terms of models and fashion photographers, but we really wanted something different, as a way of talking about something that’s important to us and the house,” she continued. “When you think you’ve pushed the boundaries, you have to push it five steps further, because the truth is that people get scared - and that’s a good thing, that’s when people take risks.”

Aprecedent set by Olivier Rousteing enlisting his Balmain Army of the It models of the moment - Jourdan, Kendall, Gigi – to show off his designs last year, the excitement surrounding who will front the campaign has been just as great as the revelation of the clothes themselves. Fortunate then, that Lim and Leon had something special in mind when it came to who to recruit.

Models Iman Abdulmajid and Chloe Sevigny; musician and composer Riyuchi Sakamoto; actress Rosario Dawson; activist Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, rapper Suboi; and hip-hop artist Chance The Rapper form the line-up of the campaign’s very familiar – and strikingly different – ambassadors, who were shot by French graphic designer and photographer Jean Paul Goude.

“The list of people in the campaign, it’s incredible - people who stand for more than just what meets the eye. So having these seven people who represent a span of things in their own lives to us feels really deep and meaningful,” Lim told us. “That’s what the campaign is about. When you see the collection on a range of our subjects, they look killer. Just wait until you see Iman,” she enthused. “I mean she’s in her sixties and she makes us all look like we should just go home. She is inspiring. The way she carries herself is amazing.”

For two of the most recognisable faces of the collaboration, the decision to take part was not only an easy one to make, but was also fuelled by nostalgia, given the histories they share with the brand.

“You know I haven’t modelled since 1989? I sometimes do things I like, but I really don’t model,” Iman disclosed (looking - just as Lim pre-empted - "killer" in a navy two-piece from the collection). “But when I was asked to do this, it was natural for me. And also to see what they’ve done with Kenzo, because they’ve really kept the legacy and heritage of the brand.”

Of her lasting relationship with the fashion house, the Somalian supermodel confessed that the infamy reached by the Kenzo campaigns she shot with Hans Feurer in the early Eighties – few would fail to recognise the images of her shrouded in cloth against the dramatic landscape of the North African plains - was unexpected.

“In a million years, I never thought that those campaigns would become such classic campaigns that would last,” she said. “You know, people are still sharing those pictures on social media. Those and Yves Saint Laurent’s are the ones that really became iconic.”

For Sevigny, who modelled Lim and Leon’s debut collection for Kenzo in 2011 (though her friendship with the duo far preceded this), her agreement was driven by similarly sentimental factors.

“With this decision it came pretty naturally,” she said, dressed in an eye-catching number from the range. “I’ve worked with H&M before and when they approached me again, obviously my relationship with Carol and Humberto encouraged my response and then I heard what they wanted to do and the people coming together – the talents, the ages, the different ethnicities - it’s such a nice throwback. But it also felt very new and a fun thing to be a part of.”

Contrary to the old adage that all good things must come to an end, in the case of H&M’s designer collaborations, each year seems to go from strength to strength - from the very first one with Karl Lagerfeld in 2004 to the Balmainia that ensued following Rousteing’s collection last year. Does the brand predict a point that the interest will start to wane?

“To be honest I thought it was a one off,” H&M’s creative director, Ann-Sofie Johansson, admitted of the first designer collaboration they did with Lagerfeld over 10 years ago. “We wanted to do something special for Christmas. So that’s why it came about, but then it became such a huge success that we thought well maybe we should do it one more time and it just kept going. There have always been designers that we want to collaborate with and there are a still a few out there.”

“It’s not anything new any longer,” she continued. “A lot of brands are doing collaborations now but, at the same time, we think as long as our customers like them, then we’ll continue to do them.”

Keeping it fresh and relevant is the winning formula, she believes, to the continued success, as is identifying “what is special about each brand, because all of them have strong visions and we have to listen and take those in”. Not letting the secret out, on the other hand, has proved less straightforward, but is vital to building the buzz ahead of each announcement.

“We have to release it earlier and earlier each year in case it leaks,” Johansson sighed, adamant that she doesn’t tell anybody (family included) before the news is made public. “People are very loyal though. Everybody likes that it’s a secret, it’s like a game!”

So did this year’s design duo feel any pressure in following the Balmainia of last?

“We love Olivier - we’re friends with him and he’s amazing, but this is completely different,” said Lim. “That’s what’s great about H&M, they’re so strategic about who they pick. They never do anything similar, which gives their customers a really wide experience. It’s exciting.”

It's true. The process of choosing, and keeping secret, the brands each year is clearly meticulous, though Johansson’s seemingly infinitely sunny disposition gives none of this away.

“We have a wish list of names that are going around and we always say that it has to be a brand or designer that we really admire, of course, and that the timing has to be right,” she revealed about how the decision is made. “I think after Balmain, which was really glamorous and sexy, we wanted to have something a little bit different. There’s a lot of energy in the Kenzo collection, but it’s also easy-going, a bit of mix and match. We wanted to have that feeling. This is a bit younger at heart too, street-wearish, which makes it fun and playful.”

The verdicts from the ambassadors, following a thorough dissection in between courses, were similarly positive.

“The prints are prints I knew years ago, but they’ve modernised it and I am very impressed,” Iman declared, particularly enthralled by the “reversibility” of some items. “I mean, it’ll be fantastic for the women that want to be part of this heritage. The attention to detail, the fabrication and the colours, everything. It’s truly Kenzo.”

Returning to the heart of what this year’s collaboration is all about – and proving why this partnership was a natural fit - diversity was a theme also championed by Johansson as being of vital importance to her brand, placing it in context of the fashion industry as a whole.

“Kenzo is about global diversity and embracing different cultures. I love that. H&M is about diversity too, so it fits really well. We like to be including, not to intimidate people. That is what H&M should be about. And fashion in general. It should be for everyone who wants a piece of it,” she concluded.