Marks and Spencer and Lulu Kennedy collaborate on new capsule collection

Marks and Spencer is launching an exclusive capsule collection by Fashion East and Lulu & Co founder Lulu Kennedy MBE for Indigo Collection, my favourite brand at M&S.

Thus I have high hopes for this new 19-piece range which will hit 33 selective stores across the UK from 15 May 2015, featuring denims, bright Caribbean colours, washed-out fabrics and a selection of global-inspired accessories.

M&S had previously featured Kennedy as one of the celebrities  in its 2014 "Leading Ladies" campaign and referred to Kennedy as the British fashion industry's "Fairy godmother" for her knack of taking unknown designers and turning them into fashion stars through her non-profit venture Fashion East that mentors young talent including launching the careers of Henry Holland, Simone Rocha and Jonathan Saunders.  They are now top stars at London Fashion Week.

Texworld Paris saw slight increase in visitor numbers

After four days of brisk business, Texworld Paris, encompassing its sister show Apparel Sourcing Paris, saw  another successful season for the textile fair held 9 - 12 February at the north Parisian suburb of Le Bourget.

Embroidery skills and young design talent were on show at Texworld.  
Photo courtesy of Texworld/Messe Frankfurt Paris. 

Under the title of "Presence", the fair presented fabric developments and new trends for Spring Summer 2016 from 626 exhibitors. 

A total of 13,639 visitors from 111 countries attended according to the organisers.

While France saw an increase of 13% in visitor numbers and the UK recorded a rise of 3%,   elsewhere in Europe, Italy, Portugal and Germany saw a slight fall, whilst Spain remained steady, supported by its numerous fashion brands.

Click HERE to read more.

Eley Kishimoto unveils new designs for Southerden Patisserie and Cafe

Southerden Patisserie and Café designed by ELey Kishimoto and Studio MacLean

Having a great design environment to enjoy good food is one of the greatest pleasures of life.

London design duo Eley Kishimoto, well known for their pattern designs for fashion, lifestyle products and interiors, have fitted out a gourmet patisserie and cafe house in collaboration with long-term creative partner, Studio MacLean.  The newly-opened Southerden Patisserie and Cafe (at 72 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 3UD)  is covered from floor to ceiling in a bold graphic Venice pattern from EK's new wallpaper collection (most recently unveiled at the Decorex interior trade fair held in London last September) and complemented by Studio MacLean’s technical lighting solution. 

The new Southerden Patisserie and Cafe, set in the beautiful heritage of Bermondsey Street, opposite the Fashion Textile Museum, is just a stone's throw away from the local landmark - the Shard building and is well placed among new restaurant openings and markets nearby.

Southerden Patisserie and Cafe offers a bespoke selection of delicacies (including salted caramel doughnuts), all served with Monmouth Coffee, specialty teas and Matcha beverages.

The Eley Kishimoto partnership was forged in the 1990s, starting in the fashion world with the launch of its first womenswear collection; this proved to be such a success that the company has continued to produce its own ELEY KISHIMOTO line ever since.  Their impressive credentials include working with Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Alber Elbaz and Jil Sander, to name but a few.

Photos courtesy of Eley Kishimoto, by Chris Tubbs

Ghurka brand luggage launches in UK and supports Gurkha Welfare Trust

On March 16, 2015 American leather goods firm, Ghurka will launch its first international presence inside the famous Fortnum & Mason store in London’s St. James’s district. The opening marks the brand’s 40th anniversary and coincides with Gurkha 200, the 200th anniversary of Gurkha service to the British Crown.  The Ghurka curated space will feature a robust assortment of its daytime and travel goods, humidors, watch collector boxes and outdoor sporting items. Also available will be a selection of elegant accessories including wallets, pouches, and wash bags. 

The Ghurka collection will be showcased on Fortnum and Mason’s third floor
and displayed in fixtures that have been shipped from the Ghurka showroom in New York.

“Fortnum & Mason is the perfect partner for our European launch,” says Pam Bristow, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy at Ghurka. “The Piccadilly store is an international icon, a benchmark for excellence, and represents the commitment to quality we hold as our standard.”

Later this spring, Ghurka will debut their G200 Collection, a capsule assortment of three styles from the Ghurka archives re-imagined in partnership with The Gurkha Welfare Trust, Britain’s leading charity dedicated to providing support for impoverished ex-Gurkha servicemen and their dependants. The bag designs utilize the famous green wool used in Gurkha uniform jackets in place of the brand’s signature twill, and will be lined in red as a nod to the military flash worn by the soldiers. The range will be retailed exclusively at Fortnum & Mason in the UK, with 25% of all sales benefitting the Trust. Further to this, a bespoke “Officer’s Field Set” consisting of a picnic table, two field chairs, a green wool blanket, two pillows and a picnic umbrella – all created by Ghurka master furniture craftsman Richard Wrightman – will be debuted. These will be sold at auction with 100% of proceeds benefitting the Trust.

“We are delighted to form this new relationship with Ghurka, whose very name demonstrates their high regard for the ex-servicemen we support,” states Karen England, Director of Fundraising & Communications for The Gurkha Welfare Trust. “The quality of Ghurka’s products rivals the exceptional standards of Britain’s Gurkha soldiers, and through our partnership we hope to raise significant funds in support of elderly and infirm veterans in Nepal.” 

Première Vision Paris gathered some 58000 international visitors to view new offerings for SS2016.

Photo by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Première Vision Paris (previously known as Première Vision Pluriel) has evolved with the re-branding of all of its six inter-related sub-divisions of industry sectors.  Reporting high attendance of some 58,000 visitors from around the world, the organisers announced its latest edition a success.

The show was held at the exposition centre in Paris Villepente 10 – 12 February, where the presentation of colours, innovative textiles, accessories and creative designs, and related materials and leather for the Spring Summer 2016 season made an impression on the international audience.

Click HERE to read more.

Designer Ben di Lisi launches casual collection called Principles Weekend at Debenhams

Super model Sophie Dahl front Principles Weekend launch at 60 Debenhams stores.

London-based designer Ben di Lisi has launched a casual collection called Principles Weekend, which is being stocked in 60 Debenhams stores across the UK from this week.  The campaign is fronted by Super Model Sophie Dahl.

Principles Weekend is a casual addition to the Principles by Ben de Lisi brand. 

The original Principles brand disappeared from 400 high streets across the UK in March 2009 when its parent company Mosaic Fashions was placed into administration.  At the time Debenhams bought the stock to safeguard sales in its stores and later purchased the worldwide rights to the brand name.

With renowned designer Ben de Lisi at the creative helm Debenhams brought back the well-loved British brand in February 2010 and has since seen commercial success both in the UK and international markets. Taking £26m in its first year, the brand has continued to experience a growth with a 20% increase in sales over the last year.

Super Model Sophie Dahl says; “The collection is all about ease - for the shoot we really mixed and matched it, in a way that felt true to the way I dress.” 

"Within this collection there are some gorgeous muted pastels, soft slouchy trousers and grown-up ‘meet the parents’ dresses. A weekend bag packed for many an eventuality."

Ben de Lisi says; “I’m thrilled to be further building on the Principles by Ben de Lisi brand with a fresh and exciting casual collection.”

“The range is for a modern, stylish woman who has an eye for quality, cut and detail.”

“Sophie Dahl embodies everything that the collection represents – a beautiful, modern, sophisticated working Mum who always looks fantastic.”

Imagery of model Sophie Dahl will appear in windows across all stores the collection is launching in as well as in store and online.

London Fashion Week and Fashion Scount launch today.

London Fashion Week Opens today.  

For Highlights, click HERE.

Natalie Massenet (BFC Chairman) and James McArthur (CEO, Anya Hindmarch & BFC Business Pillar President) with designer business mentors at the official opening of London Fashion Week AW15.  This season, LFW celebrates the BFC's Business Pillar. 

Fashion Scout London Launches Today.  
Click HERE for details.

Happy Chinese New Year! Good luck and happiness in the Year of the Sheep!

Photo taken in the Lake District, UK, by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Scoop International reports great success with new format planned for August and September

London’s  Scoop International trade fair for luxury fashion and brands  - held 1 – 3 February at the iconic Saatchi Gallery - was deemed a great success by organisers who also announced a new format for next season, featuring two shows for the first time to accommodate increased demands and different needs for exhibitors and buyers..

The dates for Scoop International will be 2-4 August and a new edition of Scoop London will take place 20-22 September to coincide with London Fashion Week.

Managing Director Karen Radley  comments, “the ninth edition of Scoop was our best show ever and the busiest!  The reaction we are launching Scoop London   - a second Scoop show to coincide with London Fashion Week has been extremely positive.  We will be focusing on more UK and International designers bringing first time exhibitors and interesting collections to the UK.  At this stage we are working on the designer mix but will be releasing more details shortly.”

 As for the recently concluded February event, Scoop was consolidated from two to one main venues and thus saw an increase in both footfall as well as international buyers.  There were more than 300 International & UK premium, directional and contemporary collections on show, covering apparel, footwear, jewellery and lifestyle collections.

Exhibitor, Cabinet Jewellery’s representative Gemma Critchley also adds, ‘the effort, attention to detail and quality of the buyers that we met was really superb and we are delighted to be part of the show”.

Show organisers reported visitors from premium stores and retailers had included Selfridges, Browns, Liberty, Harrods, Brown Thomas, Harvey Nichols, Galeries Lafayette, Franck et Fils, Fenwick Stores, Anthropologie and others.

Buyer Sue Shields from Harrods comments, ‘Scoop was very strong with a healthy mixture of ready to wear through to luxury accessories set in a beautiful exhibition space at The Saatchi Gallery.  It is always interesting to visit the exhibition to take trend inspiration for future seasons and also understanding the evolution of many of the labels”

Buyer, Natalie Lacroix from Franck et Fils comments, “as a buyer Scoop really is the show not to miss”.

Next Scoop Fashion Show Dates:

Scoop, 2-4 August 2015

Scoop London, 20-22 September 2015

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Never mind the fifty shades of grey.  

Fresh flowers among displays at the Paris Premiere Vision trade fair this week.
Photo by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

Pink and flowers are the key colour and inspiration for Spring/Summer 2016 fashion trends, according to the Premiere Vision global trade fair for international fashion professionals held in Paris earlier this week.

Look out for our report on the PV group of fairs coming soon. 

Cinderella's Glass Slipper re-imagined by top designer footwear designers and brands

Feast your eyes on these glamorous and elegant ladies footwear.

Stuart Weitzman

Disney is celebrating the European premiere of its highly anticipated live action film “Cinderella” at the Berlin Film Festival, and has revealed for the first time an enchanting collection of re-imagined Cinderella’s iconic glass slipper.  It was at this festival that the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey" was premiered earlier this week.

Jimmy Choo

The captivating collection was on display at the Cinderella Exhibit and presented by the Austrian crystal company, Swarovski.

Paul Andrew

Disney has collaborated with 11 renowned shoe designers and luxury designer shoe brands across the globe on the project. The designers in alphabetical order are: Paul Andrew, Alexandre Birman, Manolo Blahnik, Rene Caovilla, Jimmy Choo, Salvatore Ferragamo, Nicholas Kirkwood, Christian Louboutin, Charlotte Olympia, Jerome C. Rousseau, and Stuart Weitzman.  A few of their desirable creations are shown here.

Nicholas Kirkwood

 “We’re delighted to reveal the collection for the first time here in Berlin; it is a wonderful moment for everyone involved in this spectacular global project,” said David Lee, Director, Footwear, The Walt Disney Company EMEA. 

Jerome C. Rousseau

“It has been truly inspiring working with such passionate designers and the shoes they are presenting are exquisite. They have skillfully captured Cinderella’s elegance and style in their interpretations of her iconic glass slipper. The end result is a great example of how we at Disney can work with fashion brands to create one-of-a-kind imaginative products.”

Melissa Curry celebrates "Success" with inspiring jewellery

The bold designs of Melissa Curry's jewellery are inviting.  On display at her stand at the (just concluded) SCOOP International contemporary designer fair in London a couple of days ago, I felt the urge to feel and touch the colourful acrylic shapes.

  

Melissa encouraged me to experience the tactile and playful qualities of her designs.  Some look like pieces of candies, with mobile and adjustable pieces while others are tribal and provocative in their unique shapes and vibrancy.

But soon I was also intrigued to learn about another totally different collection which Mellisa launched a year ago.  

The quietly elegant range is called “Success”, designed as a gift for a woman who you want to inspire, encourage, or celebrate. 

According to Melissa, the "Success" range was launched when she had arrived at a personal point in time and it felt right for her to commemorate that special moment. 

In recognising that “success” carries a different meaning to the individual, the designer hopes the range – intended as a unique and timely gift for women and girls - will help the individual to celebrate important thresholds of the person’s life, be it a graduation, a wedding, a medical moment or a turning point in one’s career.  

The collection comprises bracelets and necklaces in sterling silver or rose gold. The Success amulet is modeled after gold and silver bullion, a bar of wealth and strength that reminds the wearer to care for herself and strive for her own independence and success.  Each Success piece comes in a small pouch accompanied by a Melissa Curry infinity tag, on which to inscribe a wish or hope.

The Success jewellery collection is also an emotive call-to-action and forms part of the designer’s campaign for women to share their own story on #Beyourownsuccess

Over a 1500 women have given or received Success since its launch, according to Melissa. The first three Success bracelets were presented to one of Melissa’s own greatest inspirations: the  First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama and her two daughters, Malia and Sasha.  Michelle Obama’s own personal strength and commitment to women’s success around the world, was inspiring to Melissa.  Another was Arianna Huffington, who also received a Success bracelet directly from the designer.

With Valentine’s Day and Mothering Sunday coming up, the Success range seems appropriate gifts to provide  encouragement and support to those special women who believe in their hopes and dreams and with to celebrate their own meaning of success in life.  

All photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.

British Fashion Council announces Designer Fund Shortlist and Fashion Film AW15 Winners

Image above (from ‘British Fashion Council, Shaun James Cox’ ) features designers, left to right:-  Mary Katrantzou, Michael van der Ham, Osman Yousefzada, Holly Fulton, Emilia Wickstead, Amy Powney and Sophia Webster.

These  designers have been shortlisted by the BFC/Vogue Designer Fund Judging Committee, and each was selected as they are in a strong position to develop into a global designer brand and represent the best of London's thriving fashion talent.   The winner of the award will be announced Tuesday 24th March 2015. 

The BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund provides one designer with a bespoke, high level mentoring support programme over a twelve month period, as well as a £200,000 grant to provide necessary infrastructure to take them to the next stage in their business.

The Fund, now in its sixth year is a legacy project from the BFC’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

Previous winners of the Fund are Erdem (2010), Christopher Kane (2011), Jonathan Saunders (2012), Nicholas Kirkwood (2013) and Peter Pilotto (2014).

This year the BFC has created an exclusive online video series, Designer Fashion Fund, which follows the application process, designer journeys, interviews with the judging panel and features the previous winners of the Fund. The episodes will be published over the course of 2015 and can be viewed at youtube.com/BritishFashionTV and Vogue.co.uk

Separately the British Fashion Council has also announced three designers who have received  funding to create fashion films to be presented at London Fashion Week.  They are Gareth Pugh, House of Holland and Jean-Pierre Braganza.

The BFC’s Fashion Film initiative, sponsored by River Island, supports both menswear and womenswear designers wishing to use film as a medium each season. Fashion Film provides funding and on-schedule screening opportunities at either London Fashion Week or London Collections: Men (LC:M).

Since its inception in February 2012 Fashion Film has helped fund designers including Christopher Raeburn, Eudon Choi, Jonathan Saunders, Mary Katrantzou, Nicholas Kirkwood and Sibling to work with directors and producers such as Ellen Von Unwerth, Matt Lambert and Nick Knight. For designers wishing to apply for Fashion Film please contact:
Laura Hinson, British Fashion Council +44 (0) 20 7759 1969 | laura.hinson@britishfashioncouncil.com

For more information on Fashion Film please visit: britishfashioncouncil.com/fashionfilm 

Ancient crafted footwear from Georgia

These unique hand-made shoes from the Southern Caucasus region of Georgia were not what I expected to find at SCOOP International held at the Saatchi Gallery in London earlier this week. They are from the Chiti brand and are handmade from virgin wool and natural dyes as they have been for a thousand years. They aim to appeal to lifestyle concept stores who would appreciate these unique footwear made by the Tusheti women.

As explained to me, these are meant to be worn around the house or out to the garden.  You can see the whole making process on their website: chiti.co.uk

London Edge lifestyle trade show offers wide range of fashion with an edge

Left and centre, vintage-style dresses from Collectif Vintage London; right, dress and matching bag from Banned Apparel.

Punk and rock style fashion from Queen of Darkness.

The London Edge lifestyle trade show currently taking place at Kensington Olympia West Hall in London, offers a wide range of fashion brands dedicated to youth-subculture and alternative fashion - from vintage printed 1940s-style dresses to experimental, mixing in punk, rock and grunge street fashion.

Printed sun dress from Voodoo Vixen.

Fruity-themed jewellery from Collectif Vintage London.

Six Bunnies' baby romper suit.

Bags from LoungeFly

Innocent Clothing's printed T-shirts.

Victory Parade's selection of printed dresses.

SwitchBlade offers a wide range of apparel and accessories for adults and children.

All photos by Lucia Carpio for My Fashion Connect.