As a fashion and design enthusiast, you will probably know by now that the prestigious London Fashion Week has its own consumer part which anyone can access and be a part of.
So, whilst the leading international Fashion Week events of this autumn are about to kick off from New York to Paris and beyond, the next London Fashion Week Festival, like it is called, is less than two weeks away and we just can’t wait to experience its magical style and fashion universe first hand.
More than 14,000 people are expected to visit London Fashion Week Festival over four days to experience the atmosphere of London Fashion Week in its official venue and gain an insight into the fashion industry, all the while presented with the opportunity to browse curated shopping galleries from over 150 international and British brands.
Tempted? I can guess! Though yet, you haven’t read through the line-up of designer catwalks, industry talks, designer shopping and consumer experiences confirmed for the 4-day event by organiser British Fashion Council.
The London Fashion Week Festival designer runway will present AW18 collections from Mother of Pearl, who bring their ‘No Frills’ fully sustainable, see-now-buy-now collection directly from London Fashion Week to the catwalk on Thursday.
Katherine Hamnett will present a catwalk collection on Friday followed by an intimate discussion in the Talks Gallery discussing her career this far, her positioning as a pioneer for sustainable fashion and her brand plans moving forward.
On Saturday, popular culture fanatic, Bobby Abley will present his ‘Bobbyland’ collection in collaboration with Warner Bros. and on Sunday Georgia Hardinge will close the catwalk with her latest collection which pays homage to her classic design of sculptural, easy to wear feminine pieces.
Furthermore, Steve Morriss, Senior Fashion Director of LOVE magazine, will be styling the Trend shows.
Millie Mackintosh, fashion, beauty and wellness influencer will curate part of the shopping galleries this season bringing together a mix of established and emerging designers across womenswear and accessories. Erica Davies of The Edited brings her extensive knowledge of interiors to curate a homeware section for the first time at London Fashion Week Festival, bringing together a mix of her favourite brands, while continuing the conversation in the Talks Gallery discussing how to create a home with personality.
This season we introduce an exciting new partnership with Boiler Room’s platform LOW HEAT, a channel for local and international artists to share their music and experiment with new creative ideas. In light of this partnership British fashion designer Liam Hodges will collaborate with LOW HEAT to launch an exclusive collection of merchandise available to purchase at London Fashion Week Festival.
As about the London Fashion Week Festival Talks Gallery, it returns with a diverse range of subject matters and industry experts including Alice Black Co-director of the Design Museum to discuss co-curating the Azzedine Alaïa: The Couturier exhibition with the late designer and telling the story of his life through the garments he so masterfully created from the early 1980s to his most recent collection in 2017.
Model, activist and body positive ambassador, Charli Howard discusses body positivity and image in the fashion industry and self-care in the digital age.
The Careers in Fashion Talk returns chaired by Glamour’s Fashion Director at large, Alexandra Fullerton, who explores opportunities in visual roles in fashion, from set design to art direction with a panel of industry insiders including creative director, Andre Bato, photographer Florian Joahn and his creative partner Jean Paul Paula and set designer Suzanne Beirne. Influencer and author of ‘Eat Smart’, Niomi Smart, discusses the power of digital influence and using your platform and message responsibly. Women in Fashion will be joining the schedule to discuss representation and accountability in fashion, exploring topics such as the importance of visual diversity and diversity behind the scenes. One-stop style resource, Who What Wear and their beauty sister site Byrdie will be joined by industry friends and familiar social media faces to delve into how we should be using Instagram, beyond the likes.
This season’s limited edition London Fashion Week Festival tote bag has been thoughtfully designed by Molly Goddard, winner of the 2018 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. This September London Fashion Week Festival consumers will get a unique piece of backstage history from the design which was inspired by the print from this season’s crew t-shirts, a limited edition piece of merchandise for the London Fashion Week Festival visitor.
The Molly Goddard limited edition tote bag is included in the Silver, Gold and LUXE ticket packages and a limited number will be available to purchase at the event.
London Fashion Week Festival opens its doors on Thursday 20 September until Sunday the 23 September at The Store Studios, 180 Strand, London WC2R 1EA.
Tickets are now available online; for full details visit http://www.londonfashionweekfestival.com
Packages include Festival Entry (from £20), Silver (from £45), Gold (from £60) Luxe (£145) and LUXE Plus (£200)
