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29 March 2024

Fashion weeks shake off the recession

Designer Vivienne Westwood flanked by models on the runway during her show in London (GETTY IMAGES)

Published
By Agencies

In London and Milan, fashion seems to be emerging from the shadow of a recession that has hung over the industry the last few seasons.

In the British capital, talented designers presented bold creations at the ongoing London Fashion Week, aiming to put the city on a par with other catwalk capitals. And in Milan, a surge of confidence has seen organisers expand the event into a six-day week and move events into the heart of the city.

‘All-time high’

London has produced some of fashion's biggest names, such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney, and its designers are regarded as among the world's most avant garde.

However it has struggled to maintain a profile on a par with Milan, Paris or New York. This season designers have sought to win over recession-weary shoppers, showing London can have as much clout as the other three cities.

"I think London is on an all time high," designer Julien Macdonald said after his spring/summer 2011 show. "We're there, we're successful, we're making a living for ourselves. We have all the young designers and they're amazing."

Britain has some of the best fashion colleges, designers and retailers in the world and events like London Fashion Week as well as a retail environment with highly desirable shopping hubs help to attract tourists.

"This is the flagship for a £21 billion industry and I think you can judge for yourself by the number of people who are here that this can only be good," British fashion reporter Hilary Alexander said at a packed show for Vivienne Westwood's Red Label.

The direct value of the fashion industry to the British economy is nearly £21 billion pounds (Dh119.7bn). out of an economy worth just over a trillion pounds.

Returning names

Without the backing of big design houses many new talents have decamped elsewhere to nurture their careers. But the return of some brands to London's catwalks from abroad is a boost.

"I love that Burberry are here again. I really feel like (London is) the epicentre of fashion in terms of the fashion that we aspire to and the clothes that we like wearing," said actress and designer Sienna Miller.

Miller said she and sister Savannah, who are behind the Twenty8Twelve brand, were sharing their showspace with other designers. "That feels really collaborative and great."

Drinks and canapes at shows have become rare at a time of belt-tightening, but several designers here served up goodies.

At Twenty8Twelve where the Miller sisters presented short dresses with petticoats and sleek shorts, guests were treated to breakfast and those in the front row received a goody bag. Macdonald hosted his show in London's historic Banqueting House, where waiters served pink cocktails, decorated with rose petals.

Women walked down the catwalk moments before the show, spraying the air with perfume to help set the mood for his show that consisted mainly of frilly, lacy dresses. There has been also no shortage of front row celebrities with names like Jude Law, Pamela Anderson and Elle Macpherson.

The luxury goods industry, whose revenues fell eight per cent last year according to US consultants Bain & Co, is climbing out of its worst downturn in decades, buoyed by travelling shoppers from emerging markets.

"I don't see things getting any worse," designer Matthew Williamson said, after presenting his collection of jackets and and dresses decorated in metallic beading. "Today it is important for a designer to be doing what they are known for."

Expansion for Milan

Milan fashion week, sandwiched between those of London and Paris, opens Wednesday with catwalks in the centre of Italy's financial hub instead of out in the suburbs.

No fewer than 78 fashion houses will show their ready-to-wear collections for spring/summer 2011.

As the shows move downtown – to the 16th-century Palazzo dei Giureconsulti and three other venues –  they will also be broadcast live on big screens at four locations in the northern industrial city.

The extravaganza that used to be held at an exhibition centre northwest of Milan will cover six days, contrasting with a frantic long weekend in February, when American Vogue editor Anna Wintour threw organisers into a tailspin by indicating that she could spare only three days for Milan.

Top fashion houses concentrated their shows over those days, leaving smaller outfits in the cold with far less media coverage.

At the time, Milan mayor Letizia Moratti huffed: "No one, even if her name is Anna Wintour, can make or unmake our fashion calendar."

Wintour, the inspiration for the book and subsequent film "The Devil Wears Prada" featuring the fearsome head of a fashion magazine, is regarded by many as the most influential person in the industry.

"People were fed up with this senseless programme," said Mario Boselli, head of Italy's Fashion Chamber. "For the first time we managed to get all the designers around a table, including three non-members – Armani, Dolce & Gabbana and Marni – and together we worked out a more balanced week," he said.
 
Lingerie out

Gucci will kick off the pageant on Wednesday, followed by Fendi and Prada on Thursday, Moschino, Gianfranco Ferre and Versace on Friday, Bottega Veneta and Emporio Armani on Saturday, Dolce & Gabbana and Salvatore Ferragamo on Sunday, and Roberto Cavalli and Giorgio Armani on Monday.

Organisers have come under fire for excluding collections of lingerie, swimwear and other labels designed for larger women. "It was a difficult but necessary decision," Boselli said. "Some labels just weren't in line with what ready-to-wear week should be. We wanted to champion the values of creativity to reaffirm Milan's role in the world."

Notably, Elena Miro has not been invited to repeat a five-year-old tradition of opening the week with her creations for larger sizes. She will stage a show on Wednesday outside of the official calendar, saying it would be a "first international audition for size 40 (10 US, 12 UK) and up."

Another innovation will be free bike-sharing for journalists covering Fashion Week.