Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, and Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, celebrated the creative talent between London and New York at a dinner hosted by Barclays on 10th February 2015 in New York.
The event, ahead of New York Fashion Week, celebrated the significant influence of both cities on the global fashion industry.
Fashion is one of the UK's most successful creative industries contributing more than £26 billion to the British economy and reinforcing London's reputation as one of the world's most creative cities. The UK's fashion colleges are internationally renowned for nurturing talent and originality, producing graduates who each season create work that is setting the global trends of the future.
Creative links between London and New York are close across many sectors, not least in the world of fashion, with high profile examples across the industry.
British designers who show their eponymous labels at New York Fashion Week include Jenny Packham, Victoria Beckham, Zoe Jordan with creative directors including Katie Grand, Katie Hillier, Luella Bartley, Peter Copping and Stuart Vevers at the helm of some of America’s biggest brands; Marc by Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta and Coach.
US based companies set up by Brits include Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa, David Neville and Marcus Wainwright of Rag & Bone with UK company Topshop opening its second largest store on Fifth Avenue and retail figurehead Marigay Mckee moving from Harrods in London to become president of Saks Fifth Avenue in the US. The transatlantic creative exchange between both capitals is not limited to design and retail with British talent including Anna Wintour OBE, Grace Coddington, Karl Templer, Beth Fenton and Edward Enninful working across American titles Vogue, Interview, Muse and W Magazine.
Across both men’s and women’s fashion weeks in London American brands including Coach, DKNY, Ostwald Helgason and Tommy Hilfiger host shows, presentations and events with industry figureheads in the UK including Ed Burstell, managing director of Liberty; Elizabeth Saltzman, contributing editor to Vanity Fair; Jonathan Newhouse, Chairman of Condé Nast International; Natalie Massenet MBE, BFC Chair and founder of Net-a-Porter, and fashion designer Tom Ford. US stores J Crew and Rag & Bone have joined the likes of Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger opening European flagship stores in London.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson, who is on a trade mission to the States, with a key focus on innovation and creativity, said: “London and New York are hugely influential as great centres of creativity, where astonishingly talented people not only generate millions for the economy, but help ensure our cities' reputations as stylish capitals of culture. It is fantastic that so many Brits are working at the highest level in New York fashion, but the cloth cuts both ways with London the gateway to Europe for American brands. There is also healthy competition with our transatlantic cousins, as each city checks the other out and is inspired to come up with the next big thing.”
Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council said “The British Fashion Council and the CFDA enjoy a close friendship, success for our fashion weeks and designers are mutually beneficial. Fashion is a global community which benefits through collaboration and we are delighted to honour our respective creative fashion talents in New York.”
This evening's dinner is being hosted at Barclays as a celebration of UK and US fashion, finance and technology, bringing together leaders and innovators in three key sectors for London and New York.
Tom King, Chief Executive of the Investment Bank at Barclays said: "We are delighted to host the Mayor of London and the British Fashion Council, as well as our clients and some of the leading figures from the worlds of finance, fashion and technology for this unique event. At Barclays we think of the UK and US as our two ‘home markets’ where we have first-class businesses, and that positions us perfectly to bring together these great business leaders, innovators and creative minds from these thriving sectors.”