London Fashion Week and London Fashion Weekend have both come and gone and the excitement of hosting one of fashion’s biggest events in the world is starting to wane a bit. Just in case you missed my blog on London Fashion Week, please read it here where i also explained the difference between London Fashion Week and London Fashion Weekend.
I am going to keep it really short on this post in regards to words. I don’t want to bore you as i would rather you enjoy some of the shots I took during the SS16.
Just one thing before I go. A few people I have spoken to do not seem to know the difference between London Fashion Week and London Fashion Weekend. I mean I didn’t many years ago. Anyway here’s my take on it.
London Fashion Week is mainly for the fashion industry professionals, ie designers displaying their new collections whiles buyers stock up on behalf of stores. It is also a time when magazines and established media outlets attend these shows and talk about the trends for the coming season. So in short, London Fashion Week is mainly for industry insiders. You have to be registered or be invited to attend the shows.
London Fashion Weekend on the other hand is essentially a designer shopping event, where members of the public can shop from designers of London Fashion Week calibre, from the high profile to the emerging
Enjoy the Photos and please come back for some exclusive photos for the London Fashion weekend taking place between Sept 24th and Sept 27th 2015.
Louis Vuitton, the brand name that makes women scream with excitement and as for men, let’s not even go there.
I have never understood why people are so label conscious especially with it comes to brands like LV. Could it be for the quality of the product, the brand name, clever advertising or is it a mash up of all the above?
A friend of a friend told me about the LV series 3 exhibition over the weekend and decided to check it out. Armed with my canon camera on Monday, I walked into 180 strand where the exhibition was held with high hopes of taking snaps of baddass men’s shoes, retro looking leather jackets and some nice overnight bags. Yep I love overnight bags as they serve me very well especially when I take quick trips into Europe.
Master Mind: The trunks in the distance contains Nicolas Chesquiere’s creative processes and inspiration.
Anyway, I walked into the building to be greeted by friendly staff as I quickly made my way to the first room of the exhibition. Mind you, I had not researched this exhibition so I did not know what to expect apart from seeing nice designer pieces of garments of some sorts. And because I did not book a guided tour, I had to figure out things as I go along. Snap snap snap as I walked casually from one room to another trying to get to the men’s wear exhibits. Room after room was filled with women’s garment and nothing for men, apart from the trunks which anyone can use.
Feeling disappointed as I walk into the “walk in wardrobe” section, I decided to have a quick glance at the photos I have taken so far. Nothing worth my while I said to myself. Where are the men’s stuff?
However, it was at this point that I had a eureka moment. You know that feeling you get when that aha moment hits you. So here I was sulking (sort of) over men’s wear not being available rather than just enjoying the elegance, craftsmanship and timeless pieces in front me.
Master Mind room with two trunks hanging from the ceiling
With a change of attitude, I walked back into the last room only this time I saw the exhibits differently. As I made my way through the rooms I had already visited, I started to notice things I did not see before. I began to appreciate the beauty and style that embodied one of the most recognisable brands in modern history. The timeless trunks, the elegant details on the dresses, the studded shoes and handbags all came alive. Even my photos got better all thanks to a change of attitude and perspective.
One of the Artisans at work meticulously piecing together a Petite Malle.
One of the pieces that caught my attention and fascination was the Petite Malle. This small but beautiful handbag is crafted in the Louis Vuitton tradition of high style. The Petite Malle is a fusion of canvas and classic hardware inspired by the original Maison trunks.
I really got fascinated as I watched one of the artisans (specially flown in from France for the exhibition) as she carefully pieced one of the Malles together. The precession and attention to detail is unparalleled. From our brief conversation, I learnt that one Petite Malle takes up to 30 hours to assemble with 9 stages from start to finish. Now I can see why LV is so sought after by many.
Petite Malle
“Series 3 is a stand-alone exhibition showcasing a designer and his creative process and influences. Far more than a simple collection, it is a stream of consciousness, dreams and self-reflective journeys. Inside a designers mind, muses intertwine with cherished memories and visions of new shapes, cuts and meticulous craftsmanship. He sits between the past he embraced the future”. LV Series 3 exhibition
The science of Savoir-Faire: The laser cutting room
So yeah I enjoyed the exhibition and if you are in or around London between now and the 18th of October 2015, I strongly recommend popping in for a visit. Well worth it.
Cuts for Him meets Sarah Shotton (Creative director of Agent Provocateur)
It’s that time of the year when all eyes turn towards London as the most anticipated show in the fashion calendar begins in grand style. For at least a week and a bit, London is the centre of the world as far as I am concerned and there is no denying that we got it on lock when it comes to talent and creativity. SS16 season is here and London is buzzing with excitement as fashion houses blitz run ways with fantastic designs as buyers rush in for the kill to stock up for retailers. Londoners by nature are bold and confident when it comes to style whiles this City keeps churning out amazing designers. Did someone say London is the fashion capital of the world? Sorry New York, Milan, and Paris but London is where it has been happening and we still got it. Not that I would ever be biased or anything (cough cough).
Cuts for him with Angus Monro (world renown casting Director)
Anyway, sitting in a large ground floor room at the Conde Nast College of fashion & design with about 200 people listening to a panel of 6 industry insiders for an intimate talk was just what the doctor ordered. One of Briton’s supermodels Jade Parfitt introduced the industry heavy weights one after the other for the AmEx talk, a program presented by the credit card company American express. The panellists comprised of Liz Matthews (PR & Agent), Lisa Gregg (Vice President & General manager, Head of Intl Consumer Products & experiences at American express), Angus Munro (Casting agent), Sarah Shotton (Creative director of Agent Provocateur), Stavos Karelis (Founder & Buyer director of Machine-A). Stavos was midway talking about what it means to be a fashion buyer when Editorial director of Paper Magazine Mickey Boardman stormed in and lightened the otherwise serious mood in the room. Mickey’s jokes and banter were seriously funny as he spoke about everything from covering Kanye West to Kim Kardashian’s “break the internet” cover of his magazine.
Cuts for him with the man behind the “Kim Kardashian break the internet” campaign for Paper Magazine, Mickey Boardman.
Angus Monro, the man who was responsible for managing superstars such as Naomi Campbell, Claudia Chiffer and Christy Tulington spoke about his career as a casting agent and what it takes to gain the respect of the industry. As a casting director, Angus has worked with brands such as Louis Vuitton, Hugo Boss, Karl Lagerfeld, Uniglo and Rick Owens.
The talk itself was set up to give audience an exclusive insight into the inner workings of the fashion industry. From casting the right models for campaigns to supporting up and coming talents within the fashion industry. So many things were discussed as Jade Parfitt effortlessly moderate what turned out to be a great conversational session.
Panellists from L-R: Iz Matthews, Lisa Gregg, Angus Monro, Sarah Shotton and Stavos Karelis with Jade Parfitt as the presenter (middle)
The Panellists were all engaging as they took turns in giving insights into the business of fashion. I have summarised the talk for you so here are some of the points made.
Internship:
Mickey Boardman kicked this topic off by making reference to current debate about interns not being paid. This is a contentious topic with lawsuits flying all over the place in recent years. Boardman’s views on this was that if you are passionate about a career path then you have to do what it takes to get on the ladder. He drew reference to his intern experiences during his studies which eventually lead to him being employed full time and now editorial director for Paper Magazine. His views on this seemed to have the backing of the rest of the panel members.
The use of celebrities in campaigns:
As a former manager for models himself, Angus Monro has a lot to say on this topic. His views were that modelling before the 00s was a real career where models will take to the cat walk countless times during fashion shows. Models were the faces for fashion houses compared to countless celebs being used to promote labels in recent years.
Celebs starting their one brands:
Whiles the likes of Victoria Beckham have made it against all the stereotypes of celebs taking to designing, there are a lot of others who have made attempts to launch clothing lines but have not been successful. The general consensus was that many used fame to try to branch out whiles lacking the real passion of the craft which may have led to their brands failing or not taking off at all.
Fashion week’s best City
Like I said earlier in my first paragraph, no city beats London when it comes to producing exciting fashion talents and the panel were all in agreement on this. London truly produces lots and lots of emerging designers who are making a splash all over the world. Ashley Williams, Atea Oceanie, Rejina Pyo, Shrimps and many more were all lauded to be great emerging fashion industry new comers.
Parenthood/Motherhood and the fashion industry:
Juggling between motherhood and a prominent career in the fashion industry is one seen impossible by many. This couldn’t be further away from the truth as Liz Matthews, Sarah Shenton and Jade Parfitt all inspired the audience through their individual experiences on how they have coped with raising children whiles pursuing careers in the fashion industry. “Even though it is hard work, it is totally possible to raise a family and have a successful career in fashion” said Sarah Shenton.
Bloggers and the fashion industry:
There has been rumours and whispers that LFW is trying to make it harder for bloggers to gain access to events. I am not sure how true this is but the one or two members of the panel raised concerns about blogs not being regulated. My personal view on this is that in as much as I completely understand the concerns that blogs are not being regulated, I think that conventional media ie established magazines, TV channels and even newspapers may be getting a bit jittery due to the massive rise of blogging which somehow takes a share of the market away from them. The idea that an individual with a couple of millions of followers can help influence buying patterns of their followers is real and causing a shift in the industry. To what end, we will have to wait and see.
So there you have it people, the AmEx talk summarised.
Please share your thoughts on any of the points made above. If you happened to visit any of the LFW official sites over the weekend, let me know what your thought are by leaving a comment below.
