Last night the fashion and art industries came together to celebrate Britain Creates 2012: Fashion + Art Collusion at the VIP Gala fundraising event at the Old Selfridges Hotel.
The project conceived by the BFC/Bazaar Fashion Arts Foundation and in partnership with the Mayor of London, is a unique opportunity to celebrate and strengthen the longstanding relationships between fashion designers and visual artists and brought together a plethora of names that have collaborated to produce specially commissioned one-off works of art.
These exclusively created pieces were all unveiled last night at a Gala fundraising event auctioned by Simon de Pury before they go on public display at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) from 6th to 29th July. Monies raised from the evening will form part of a bursary to encourage and support emerging artists and designers and to help encourage future collaborations. The exclusive pieces will then return to Selfridges and be displayed in the store windows from 31st July to 19th August.
'This summer we are putting on the most ambitious cultural festival ever in the capital. And fashion is taking it's rightful place with these stunning collaborations. In brilliant style, Britain Creates brings together some of the most influential artists around and wildly talented fashion designers that contribute to a hugely important industry, which generates £21 billion for the economy.' - Boris Johnson, Mayor of London
The designers and artists involved with the project are:
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Jonathan Saunders + Jess Flood-Paddock
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Stephen Jones + Cerith Wyn Evans
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Matthew Williamson + Mat Collishaw
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Nicholas Kirkwood + Simon Periton
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Hussein Chalayan + Gavin Turk
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Giles Deacon + Jeremy Deller
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Mary Katrantzou + Mark Titchner
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Paul Smith + Charming Baker
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Peter Pilotto + Francis Upritchard
Find out more about the collaborations and see the works
Key industry figures and celebrities joined the BFC, artists and designers at the event, with a special performance by Ren Harvieu. Guests included HRH Princess Beatrice of York, David Bailey, Florence Welch, Tallulah Harlech, Valeria Napoleone, Sarah Mower MBE, Goga Ashkenazi, Christopher Bailey and Heather Kerzner.
For video, video galleries and more information visit www.britaincreates.com
For further information on Britain Creates please contact:
Gemma Ebelis, PR Manager, British Fashion Council
gemma.ebelis@britishfashioncouncil.com
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7759 1989
Image: Jonathan Saunders and Jess Flood-Paddock, wearing an AW12 look by Jonathan.