“I believe that London is really the greatest fashion capital in the
world,” said British Fashion Council chairman Natalie Massenet at the
launch of London Fashion Week, which kicked off in the capital on Friday,
February 19.
“London is the centre of creative talent, a hub of technological
innovation and a vibrant business community – with Fashion Week at its
creative and commercial heart – attended by thousands and watched by
Millions worldwide.” added Massenet.
The Net-a-Porter founder, who accepted her Damehood at Buckingham Palace
on the opening morning of London Fashion Week, said in her speech that she
would be continuing in her role at the British Fashion Council for another
year.
The British Fashion Council chairman highlighted London’s commitment to
combining fashion with technology, adding that this season’s London Fashion
Week footage would be shown on 60 outdoor screens around the UK in a
partnership with Ocean Outfit as it looks to increase consumer engagement
with the event.
“It is exciting to see so much talk of a new focus on the consumer, a
re-thinking of the platforms we can use to engage with them and an
embracing of change,” said Massenet. “From the outset of my time as
Chairman we have been championing opening up our world and sharing the
experience – so many designers have supported that vision including
Burberry’s recent news that shines such a strong light on our leadership in
this field. We are very proud that this started in London.”
She also highlighted the importance of the fashion industry, which is
worth 26 billion pounds to the UK economy, and added that currently, the
industry employs 800,000 people, and to benchmark the growth it has
conducted a survey of 153 designers and found that “micro businesses” have
grown by over 110 percent in the last three years, and that they are
projecting more ambitious growth over the next three years.
The British Fashion Council also added that it is committing to
conducting the survey annually to measure development, and has also
commissioned a new report on the Value of Fashion, the results of which
will be presented at a later date.
In addition, the British Fashion Council has also launched a new online
resource called Designer Fact File, which aims to give business advice and
information to designers. Currently, more than 2,000 businesses have
already registered with the service.
Over the course of the five days of London Fashion Week, more than 240
designer brands will showcase their spring/summer 16 collections on
schedule and in the Designer Show. Highlights Massenet added would be the
debut of Charlotte Olympia, as well as the return of Mulberry back to the
schedule.
London Fashion Week runs until Tuesday, February 23.
Image: Danielle Wightman-Stone