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.

Copyright Row Hits NYFW

A row has erupted between two New York Fashion Week designers over the copyright of a specific shoe design. Mansur Gavriel, which unveiled its first footwear collection this week, has been accused of copyright infringement by Maryam Nassir Zadeh, who has stated that the shoes are "way to close to my own designs to be an accident".

Nassir Zadeh said that the shoes in question, "Not only replicate my signature block heel, but use it in collaboration with an open-toe mule and slide shapes like my own," according to WWD. The designer also told the publication that she has had numerous people contact her to point out the similarities, while model Mari Giudicelli - who was slated to appear in Mansur Gavriel's static presentation - pulled out over loyalty to Nassir Zadeh.

"I am really grateful for everything Maryam has done for me and it was not fair to keep working with Mansur Gavriel after the whole presentation thing," Giudicelli told WWD. "The shoes are very similar, and unfortunately there was this whole conflict."

But, while Nassir Zadeh (who also stated that she had previously seen designer Floriana Gavriel wearing her shoes on Instagram), has confirmed that she is "investigating legal recourse", whether or not she will be able to bring a case is to be seen since "copyright law prohibits the protection of a design if the idea underlying the design can be expressed only in one way or a drastically limited number of ways," outlines The Fashion Law.

Gavriel - who, together with her design partner Rachel Mansur, won the Swarovski Award For Accessory Design at the CFDA´a this year - said at the presentation: "I think it's a large range in terms of the form and the heel. We see it as one visual world."

Style Now Shanghai Comes To Town

Shanghai Fashion Week has come to London this month in the form of the exhibition Seven Faces of An Amazing Life - a part of the Style Now Shanghaicampaign featuring an edit of China's finest fashion designers and artists - to celebrate 2015 being the official UK/ China Year Of Cultural Exchange.

The exhibit comprises seven imaginative sections: Teen Spirit; Street Mavericks; Geometry - Maths Is Fun!; Talking To A Plant; Island Saga; Awakening; and Reclothing Bank which each feature contributions from at least two designers or artists. Central Saint Martins' graduates Angel Chen, Zhang Yuhao, Dido Liu and Momo Wang form a part of the designer contingency, while Shi Zhiying, Zhang Ruyi, Uma Yang, and Liu Zhenchen are the renowned artists featured.

The result is an energetic and vibrant showcase, that promotes the fresh and uninhibited talent that is currently emerging from the country, and in turn making headlines around the world.
Although China has long history, it maybe only has 20 years of fashion history - it's very youngLV Xiao Lei, vice-secretary general of Shanghai Fashion Week

"This is the year of culture exchange between the UK and China and so we want to combine the creativity of fashion and art and bring it to London to present the most contemporary of Chinese fashion to the UK audience," LV Xiao Lei, vice-secretary general of Shanghai Fashion Week told us at the launch of the exhibition yesterday. "A lot of young people go to Europe or America to study fashion and then go back to China. They not only bring back the knowledge of what they have learnt but how the business side of things should be."

Its presence in the capital during London Fashion Week is a pertinent one, given China's increasing presence and influence on the international fashion scene, and - since it's a stone's throw from many of the LFW show locations - the opportunity to see the creations up close shouldn't be missed.

"Although China has long history, it maybe only has 20 years of fashion history - it's very young," continued Lei. "We want to communicate to new audiences that the contemporary aesthetic of Chinese fashion is this - it's not all dragon motifs."

Seven Faces Of An Amazing Life is on now at The Hospital Club, 24 Endell Street.

Chalayan's Vionnet Role Expands

Hussein Chalayan has expanded his role at Vionnet, as it was announced today that he will now be working on the ready-to-wear offering. The designer, who was appointed as the French house's demi-couture designer in January 2014, will "work alongside Albino Damato and Diego Dolcini, providing his unique point of view to the Vionnet world," the company revealed today.

"My plans for the immediate future of Vionnet aim at strengthening the Vionnet codes, working on focused design concepts while finding a piercing coherence amongst its many components," Vionnet owner and creative director Goga Ashkenazi said this morning. "The opening of our first boutique in Paris in September is a clear sign in this sense. Working again with Hussein, with whom I had the pleasure to collaborate on our demi-couture collections, is another one. 

Hussein will bring his unique approach into our creative debate, where we all will be organically integrating our views with the Vionnet aesthetic. My aim, in the long run, remains to create an authentic creative community around Vionnet: a collective of individual minds working in unison, adding new voices to the chorus as we go along. I am very thrilled of this perspective and strongly continuing to believe in it."

Chalayan presented his first demi-couture offering for the house in January 2014. The brand's next ready-to-wear show will take place in Paris on September 30th.

LFW: The Big Fashion East 15

When fashion East was happening it was like a bomb had gone off and people were living in any kind of building they could -­­ opening pubs and generally being passionate about developing a community," so recalls  Amy Molyneaux, whose fashion label, PPQ, was among the line-up in the second instalment of the then brand-new fashion platform created byLulu Kennedy. "What a brilliant time it was!" The initiative celebrates its 15-year anniversary at this September's London Fashion Week. Where did the time go?

"I had been working for the Truman Brewery since 1996, some designers came looking for studio spaces. It was an exciting time. The East End was exploding with lots of art and music events, but I tended to naturally gravitate towards the fashion side because I knew some of the designers," remembers the quietly spoken Kennedy. Another common thread lay in the fact that they - the designers - and Kennedy all drank in the same pub, The Bricklayer's Arms. "It all leads back to that really," she says - which is kind of brilliant.

Kennedy hadn't actually planned on working in fashion - her background was in organising raves - and what we know today as Fashion East and a highlight of the London Fashion Week schedule, started out as a "project".

"We were looking to do something philanthropic anyway, and they [Truman Brewery] were, like, 'Get on with it, stop driving us mad'," she laughs. Armed with said madness - aka enthusiasm - Kennedy got to it. "I had a beginner's ignorance - 'It's going to be fine - just shove a massive sound system in it and have a party afterwards.' I wasn't concerned about the nice, glossy details, it was all very raw, noisy and raucous. I just didn't get my knickers in a twist about it" - which is all part of Fashion East's charm and, ultimately, why it's worked.

Fashion East is renowned for plucking bright new names - those still a bit rough around the edges, that have an idea and need help with what to do with it; those with a leftfield point of view - and giving them a chance to be heard. "There was all this great talent going on, it felt great to bring it together in a showcase, people who might have got missed," she thinks back.

That first season, spring/summer 2001 in September 2000, saw Blaak, Camilla Staerk, IE Uniform and Patrick Thomson take to Fashion East's catwalk. House of Jazz, Roksanda Ilincic, Jonathan Saunders, Richard Nicoll, Gareth Pugh, Marios Schwab, Danielle Scutt, Meadham Kirchhoff, Louise Gray, Holly Fulton - and the list goes on - followed.

"The fact that we brought it all together in a really easy format for people to see - instead of having to find this weird show in the middle of nowhere [a common problem associated with East End locations back at the beginning of the millennium, keeping in mind that LFW used to take place in South Kensington] - meant they just responded well to it."

"Our first show with Fashion East was fast and furious; it was cold, with raw white walls and a massive sound system," continues Molyneaux of her experience. "Backstage was open, so you saw the other designers and teams fighting with rollers and zips - not unlike ourselves - and the choreographer had a voice to be reckoned with. I remember the Russian models all wanting to wear our hooded sheepskin coats and there were major tantrums as it was freezing, but they walked like gazelles, so I forgave them."

It was all part of the fun; that's also a strong part of what Fashion East is about. There's a humanity and humility to it. One of Kennedy's favourite venues was the Electric Ballroom in Camden, which prompted reviewers to note that if you hadn't bothered to trek there, you really had missed a great show.

"One of my first memories was when Lulu lent me the studio at the Truman Brewery to use before my first show," recollects Holly Fulton, who showed with the initiative twice - for autumn/winter 2009 and for spring/summer 2010. "I arrived from Edinburgh with the collection in a suitcase, knowing I was about to make my debut as a designer at LFW, to find that I couldn't open the lock on the door. Hardly cool. I had to phone Lulu to talk me through opening the padlock. That moment sums up the experience of being part of Fashion East: there was so much I didn't know yet but Lulu never made you feel like that and just gently guided you through it all. I would never have taken the jump without the framework that Fashion East gave me; it was the best possible start and afforded me the foundation on which to build my brand."

For Kennedy, that's the overriding point of it all. "It's not about growing so much as staying relevant and honing what we do and connecting the designers. While it feels relevant and the designers tell us that it is, we'll keep going because there's no point doing a vanity project," she says. And she's famously not one for front-row politics - a "pet peeve" - you'll spot her somewhere at the back of the room, just as nervous as the designers themselves.

"Fashion East and Lulu are the reason I have a career in fashion and a fashion label - without her asking me to show as part of the initiative who knows if I would have ever done more than T-shirts!" says Henry Holland whose first collection was famously based quite simply on rhyming fashion slogan T-shirts (´Wham bamm, than you Stam´: ´My flies are undone, Lily Donaldson´),"The support that Lulu gives, both financially and emotionally, lasts so much longer than the two seasons. You are under her wing and it's an honour and a privilege to be a part of the stable!" He's not the only one to feel that way.

"Lulu really believed in me from the beginning. Unlike most Fashion East alumni, I didn't study an MA or do any collaborations before, I had zero press and no one had ever heard of me," points out Ryan Lo, who has since gone on to garner acclaim for his hyper-sweet collections. "She treats every designer differently, it's never one size fits all, so I felt really special."

So what is the winning formula that makes a designer stand out? Is there even one? "It hasn't really changed over the years, it's fairly easy to spot. I can't really explain it," says Kennedy. It's that fashion X-factor thing. "You can be intrigued by their clothes but then when you meet them you start to get a better idea of where they're going."

She fondly recalls the time that Jonathan Saunders turned up with "not a bin bag but something tatty" of clothes, none of which were on hangers, "but you could see so much". It was his energy, his spark; it was a done deal. "He was always covered in print, where his hands were in a bucket of dye; he was always filthy, but it would be Hermès or Balenciaga," she remembers.

And, of course, there were some names that just stood out. "I could see early on that JW Anderson would be offered a big gig, you could see… you could place bets on it." The designer showed as part of the MAN line-up (a collaboration between Fashion East and Topman) for the autumn/winter 2009 season.

Fifteen years later, did she ever imagine all this? Aside from helping to launch some of London's most noted womenswear names, the initiative has introduced its own menswear category too.

"I don't think there was ever really a plan," she laughs. But, as she says, while it's working for the designers, it's working full stop. "It's those little moments really - when they've touched the audience and left them thinking, 'I want that jumper'. Or a clever reference. Or in the reviews - a great adjective can make my day. It's the small things. I know we're only a small organisation so there's only so much we can do, but we can still."

Sitges International Film Festival 2015

Sitges has many endearing qualities. From bohemian fiestas and social equality to dancing giants and vintage car races. These yearly celebrations help to enrich the Catalans social diary with their broad range of cultural and patrimonial orientated episodes. But, what if there was another side to this pearl of the Mediterranean. A chilling one, which could leave you quite literally terrified.

October sees the 47th instalment of the Sitges (International Fantastic Film) Festival of Catalunya. Hailed by Empire magazine as ´the number one fantasy film festival in the world, ‘this established 10 day spectacle of all things terror presents a multitude of exhibitions, presentations, some 234 screenings and discourses of horror films from all over the world.

Fiesta Internacinale del Cinema Fantastic de Catalunya is presided over by its governing Foundation which is made up of representatives from the Sitges Town Council, Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalonia’s autonomous government.) Melia Sitges, Moritz and other institutions, associations and private companies which make up its sponsoring resources and platforms for international branding, 

Staying true to their previous macabre themed advertising direction, this year’s campaign is based on Brad Pitt’s 1995 neo-noir psychological thriller, Se7en, with a bloody torn box image paying homage across the international press and media.

Sitges world renowned status frequently allures audiences from top-level directors and producers like Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro and Woody Allen. The movie stars aren´t any less disappointing with Sir Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Cameron Diaz and Brangelina all making an appearance in the past 12 years.

The shores of this historic fishing town are also an essential rendezvous for any serious terror technophile eager to come into contact with new trends and technologies applied to film and the audio-visual world. Techniques, methods and workshops bring these celluloid dreams into reality at specified times within the timetable.

Parallel events out-with the multiple screenings will allow attendees to encounter expositions such as ´Dossier Sinclair: The Art of Vincente Ballestar,´ one of the creators of the dark pulp and realistic supernatural genres which rocketed him to fame with the covers of Ghosthunter and Pulp magazines for the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

A light hearted look at the industry takes place on the tenth night of October when ´the dead take to street for their revenge upon the living´. This may sound like a quite from Homers Odyssey, but it describes the annual zombie walk where by attendees, residents and spectators go out to sea with their theatrical make up and clothing to take part in the official zombie walk through the town centre. And quite the spectacle it is.

Nine different capacities scattered throughout the town centre will act as cinema venues. From the imposing Melia Sitges to the infamous Cine Prado, these serve purpose as meeting, viewing and discussion platforms, as well as hosting the multiple awards ceremonies, from Nosferatu to the Grand Honorary Award at the close of the festival.

Ticket costs and availability vary according to the film, location and status. Matinee, Auditoir and VIP seats mean that there are viewing opportunities available at most times every day, subject to conditions.

So, if you find yourself torn between the devil and the deep blue, then pop into this ten day film extravaganza. But don´t leave the tickets too late as they get soul-ed out early.

Fallen Angel Back On Top

Candice Swanepoel was back on her feet, happily attending a charity event, just hours after falling during the Givenchy show in New York on Friday night. Swanepoel was picked up by a front-row guest after the tumble, and approached the incident with characteristic good humour.

"Thank you to whoever picked me up off the runway tonight," she said on Instagram alongside a picture of her knees, which were bloodied in the incident. "Left with little scratches but mostly a bruised ego #ohwell."

Rather than hiding at home, as many might have done, she attended an event with fellow Victoria´s Secret Angel Lais Ribeiro at the Rose Bar at Gramercy Park Hotel following the show, to celebrate the Brazilian model joining her as an ambassador for Bottletop, a sustainable fashion company which supports philanthropic initiatives across the world.

Several other high-profile models - including Frankie Rayder, Kendall Jenner, Raquel Zimmermann, Magdalena Frackowiak, and Mariacarla Boscono - also walked in the show, although only Swanepoel and one other model fell foul of the pointed-toe slingbacks worn. It seems it wasn't the shoes' vertiginous heels, but rather their loose laces that caused the problems - but fortunately the South African blonde was smiling by the end of the show.