The British Fashion Council has confirmed over 170 emerging and established accessories, jewellery and ready to wear labels to show their autumn/winter 11 collections at the leading international designer showcase, The Exhibition at London Fashion Week. Known as a platform to view emerging designer businesses alongside established brands, this season the exhibition will showcase 60 design talents new to London Fashion Week. The Exhibition is open to all UK and International media and buyers. Registration is available on site from 18th – 22nd February, 10am until 7pm (closing at 6pm on 22nd).
The Exhibition will be based in the South Wing of Somerset House over 4 floors, where accessories, footwear, jewellery, and ready-to-wear and designers will come together to form the sales hub of London Fashion Week. Amongst the new designers showcasing this season are Draw in Light; Nancy Van Ostren; Sarah Baadarani; Shao Yen Chen; Teatum Jones and Tze Goh. More established brands Lara Bohinc and Linda Farrow will rejoin the likes of Erickson Beamon and milliner Stephen Jones, whilst new accessories designers include Ongwat’s architecturally inspired jewellery; Joanne Stoker’s footwear label and skillfully constructed handbags from Thomas Blaak. Boundary pushing product designer Paperself will be showcasing their unique and expressive eyelashes collection, inspired by the art of Chinese paper cutting. The Exhibition will once again feature an impressive selection of established footwear designers including understated luxury brand Georgina Goodman and British Fashion Award nominee Camilla Skovgaard.
Exhibitors are selected by an expert panel of media and retailers to guarantee the integrity and quality of the exhibition, and ensure the collections will appeal to an audience of both UK and international retailers alike. As well as installations and multibrand showrooms, The Exhibition will have merchandised feature areas for each of the BFC’s showcasing initiatives. NEWGEN, sponsored by TOPSHOP will feature some of London’s most innovative designers in the Terrace Rooms at Somerset House; Estethica, sponsored by Monsoon, gives a platform for eco-sustainable design; Headonism, brings new British milliners curated by Stephen Jones; BFC/Elle Talent Launch Pad winners will once again have a show space in the embankment galleries; and The Navy Board Room collective, comprising of NEWGEN alumni, is located on the first floor.
The NEWGEN area of the Exhibition, sponsored by Topshop, will feature seventeen of the UK’s best emerging design talents including on-schedule designers as well as those showing in the exhibition and on the presentation schedule. Designers receiving NEWGEN sponsorship for the first time this season include milliner Nasir Mazhar, who has designed collections for Gareth Pugh, Richard Nicoll and The Royal Opera House, as well as creating commissions for Lady Gaga and Madonna. Directional designer Thomas Tait’s has also won NEWGEN sponsorship for the first time; he will showcase his Autumn/Winter 2011 ready-to-wear collection at The Exhibition.
The British Fashion Council’s ethical showcase, Estethica, sponsored by Monsoon, will be located in the embankment galleries at Somerset House. This season sees the largest Estethica showcase to date, where 30 designers will be showcasing their ethically aware labels. Estethica designer Christopher Raeburn, who’s ethically aware outerwear has received much critical acclaim, will this season showcase his menswear line in an innovative presentation. Amongst the new designers are Fashion East winner Dr Noki, with his NHS ready to wear collection, alongside millinery by Jacob James and jewellery designer Kumvana Gomani who will also be showing for the first time. An Estethica brunch for press and buyers will be held on Saturday 19th, 11.15am to 1pm.
Headonism, an initiative to showcase and support emerging milliners in London, curated by iconic British milliner Stephen Jones, will showcase five designers, Piers Atkinson, J Smith Esquire, Little Shilpa, Noel Stewart and Soren Bach.
This year’s BFC/Elle Talent Launch Pad winner’s designated area in the exhibition provides an introduction for the designers and their collections. The BFC/Elle Talent Launch Pad area will feature the timeless aesthic designs of Clemency London, David Longshaw’s illustrative and embellished collection, androgynous womenswear from Eudon Choi, Holly Fulton’s unique art-deco signature pieces and statement accessories; the edgy womenswear from designers Irwin and Jordan, and sculpture based jewellery from Yunas and Eliza, all selected by leading independent retailers throughout the UK.
The Navy Board Room collective brings together a group of NEWGEN alumni including Atalanta Weller, Cooperative Designs, Felder Felder, KTZ, Marjan Pejoski, Mark Fast, MFP and Michael Lewis. These designers have gone on from winning NEWGEN sponsorship, to develop their businesses, to leading the sales at London Fashion Week. After four successful seasons with NEWGEN, Atalanta Weller joins the Navy Board Room collective with her inspirational take on footwear, alongside revolutionary knitwear design from Mark Fast and Maria Francesca Pepe’s avant garde creations which merge the link between ornament and wearability.
Four prominent multi-brand showrooms will be representing designers in The Exhibition. Showrooms Haynes and Rainbowwave will be joined by Bloody Grey PR and Place Rouge who are also showing their support for the new direction of brand selection within The Exhibition. Haynes will be located in The Navy Board Rooms on the First Floor and will represent Ksubi, Louise Amstrup, Chronicles of Never, Ostwald Helgason, and Panda Kunst by Louis-marie de Castelbajac. Also located on the first floor are Rainbowwave, representing Camilla Skovgaard, Douud, Enza Costa, Deepa Gurnani, Anne Louise Landelius and Mou, and Place Rouge presenting AF Vandevorst, Anne Valerie, Hash, InsideOut, Jean-Pierre Braganza, Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. Bloody Grey PR will showcase Neurotica, Rachel Freiere, E.g., Tosha, Albion Trinketry, James Hock, Martina Spetlova, Two Weeks, Broken Fab, and La Cav Du Bon in the Embankment Galleries.
Menswear day will have a dedicated showcase of up and coming menswear talent on Wednesday 23th February from 1pm – 5pm. An installation from NEWGEN MEN winner Christopher Raeburn will be located on the first floor alongside Estethica’s Junky Styling. Fashion East Men installations will be based on the ground floor embankment galleries featuring collections from some of London’s most innovative menswear designers. For the full list of menswear exhibitors visit www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/newgenmenfashioneastinstallations
Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council commented “This is an edited exhibition for the UK and International leading retailers and media offering new talent selections alongside established brands and showrooms. An early morning opening on Tuesday 22nd for those who cover the shows and a working lounge for buyers will make the exhibition even more accessible to London Fashion Week’s audiences.”
Following its successful launch last season, London Fashion Week publications The Inside Guide, which gives readers in-depth information and editorial insight into those showcasing in the exhibition, and the Little Black Book, providing full press and sales contacts for all the exhibitors, will once again be available to all press and buyers upon registration. This season also sees the launch of The Great Exhibition poster, a new publication edited by Jenny Dyson which gives the key autumn/winter 11 trends to look out for at The Exhibition.
Opening Hours of the Exhibition - Friday 18th – Monday 21st February 2011, 10am - 7pm daily. The Exhibition will have an early opening on Tuesday 22nd from 8.30am and will close at 6pm.
Press releases on this season’s NEWGEN recipients; BFC/Elle Talent Launch Pad designers and the Estethica collective are available at www.londonfashionweek.co.uk/press