WHAT: This morning, David Beckham, the British Fashion Council (BFC) and 1664 Blanc opened London Fashion Week June 2024, kicking off a three-day celebration of British menswear and the diverse cultures that have a long-standing influence on the fashion industry.
WHERE: Institute of Contemporary Arts, 12 Carlton House Terrace, London, SWIY SAH
SPEECHES:
Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive, BFC:
Good morning everyone, it is so good to see you. Welcome to London Fashion Week presented by 1664 Blanc June 2024. Fashion weeks are a fantastic moment to celebrate the diversity and impact of British fashion.
We are of course being realistic about the challenges that face the sector. Globally, but particularly in the UK, market conditions remain tough for fashion businesses and as we prepare for a general election on 4th July there is an opportunity for a refresh. We need support to design and deliver #FashionsFuture.
We are world leaders culturally and creatively and can be stronger commercially. Through conversations with our network, the BFC has identified five priorities for a new government to support economic and social growth, employment and opportunity in the fashion sector. This has been sent to you in a letter from our brilliant BFC Chair David Pemsel and we ask you to engage and share over the coming weeks.
London has always been the most innovative and creative fashion week and this June is no exception. This is not a normal fashion week. We wanted to create a cultural moment with the aim of igniting the imagination with a focus on storytelling. Over the next three days, we are spotlighting the breadth of British menswear and the storytelling that makes British menswear unique.
This is the second fashion week in our 40th year celebrations and the second with our brilliant partner 1664 Blanc. Thank you. I’d love Rebecca Allen of 1664 Blanc to say a few words.
Rebecca Allen, Senior Brand Manager, 1664 Blanc:
1664 Blanc is delighted to stand here as Principal Partner for London Fashion Week. This June has presented a brilliant opportunity for our partnership, working together on a new concept for the British Menswear Community. We are so pleased to contribute in highlighting the diverse cultures and creatives that play a pivotal role in shaping British menswear. We are proud to be taking over the ICA tomorrow with a consumer-facing schedule for London Fashion Week, translating themes provided by the British Fashion Council, and making them accessible to a broader audience.
We look forward to the coming days, and future fashion weeks, as an opportunity to strengthen our impactful partnership with the British Fashion Council, shaping the creative industries together.
Caroline Rush CBE, Chief Executive, BFC:
Thank you, Rebecca. We couldn’t deliver this without all of our partners, thank you.
I wanted to take a moment to talk through a bit more detail about what the next few days have to offer and why. Putting a focus on British menswear from emerging talent to established brands to Savile Row is important to our businesses who trade globally. Reminding the global fashion community the breadth and depth of British menswear is essential to the next few days. Here we will have curated talks, presentations, events, run clubs, a pub quiz as well as catwalk shows and exhibitions. We are taking over the ICA for the next two days and the Groucho on Sunday.
It is great to see this LFW Retrospective through a lens of menswear and an installation from TONI&GUY, a long-term partner and supporter of British fashion.
Today, we welcome you to our exhibition which spotlights three of the cultures that have made a rich and significant contribution to the British fashion industry. There is a focus on British brands and designers, as well as personal stories from a variety of communities within these cultures.
The guest curators have responded to the incredible exhibitions by guest photographers: Black culture centred around self-love with photographer Stephen Akinyemi and curated by Clara Amfo; South Asian culture with focus on pattern, textile and craftsmanship with photographer Tami Aftab and curated by Simran Randhawa; queer culture, with a spotlight on young creative voices from the trans community with photographer Dani D’Ingeo and curated by Kai-Isaiah Jamal.
To the fashion audience, we know this is a new format for London Fashion Week in June. Thank you for coming with us and telling the stories of our businesses, our cultures and our wonderful creative capital.
A huge welcome to our guest programme of media and retailers. Thank you for all your support and for travelling to be with us. Now to kick off our three-day menswear showcase, it is a great pleasure to welcome our Ambassadorial President. the brilliant David Beckham.
David Beckham OBE, Ambassadorial President, BFC:
I’m so pleased to be able to be here to support the designers and open London Fashion Week today – a special moment in the year that marks LFW’s 40th anniversary and celebrates culture, community and creativity.
Fashion is such an important business for the UK and it’s in my role as Ambassadorial President of the BFC that we focus on boosting support globally for the UK fashion industry by raising the profile of designers and talent that the BFC nurture, encouraging British manufacturing and building networks and channels to support.
I have been lucky enough to be part of and attend LFW for a number of years and it never fails to amaze me just how incredible the talent in London is and how lucky we are to have access to such a diverse mix of fashion businesses – from Savile Row tailors to sportswear, British fashion continues to influence and have an impact worldwide.
Menswear fashion here in the UK is like no other; through my work with the BFC I have had the opportunity to work on BFC initiatives with some of the amazing designers who are leading the way when it comes to innovation in menswear design – Foday from Labrum London, Nicholas Daley and Priya Ahluwalia are just a few names that come to mind.
The pipeline of talent to the industry is vital to its success so please get involved and support the designers activating across the weekend.
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***BFC, David Beckham and 1664 Blanc open London Fashion Week June 2024***