BFC’s Caroline Rush: “London Has Incredible Talent”

CAROLINE RUSH described this season's London Fashion Week as "the perfect storm". The British Fashion Council chief executive believes that the autumn/winter 2013-14 schedule was one of the capital's strongest to date - thanks to the timing (following the London 2012 Olympics), its selection of "incredible" diverse talent, and the fresh bout of "energy and enthusiasm" brought by new BFC chairman, Natalie Massenet. 

"We've been building on strengthening London Fashion Week over several seasons, but now it's almost the perfect storm," she told us. "It's post-London 2012, where there was a huge amount of attention on the UK. We have incredible designers - not just creatively, but which are now developing sustainable profitable businesses - and the internet now gives immediate access to a global audience."

Thanks to a partnership with Righster and YouTube, 21 of this season's shows were broadcast live online this season - not even taking into account the social efforts from the likes of Burberry and Topshop, labels which consistently push the bounds of public interactivity. And speaking of Topshop, Rush was delighted at the increase of British high street presence on this season's schedule.

"It's an opportunity for the general public to access fashion and trends that all start here at LFW, so it's no bad thing at all - [high street brands] are all building international businesses too, so it makes sense to show here when they've got the world's attention and international retailers and department stores in town," she said. "Of course Topshop have been part of London Fashion Week for many years supporting NEWGEN - they're an incredible global fashion brand in their own right now."

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SARAH KARMALI | FEBRUARY 20, 2013 | Article Link

The Secret Weapon Behind Rihanna’s Look

After the Rihanna for River Island presentation during London Fashion Week, its namesake designer, the biggest pop star on the planet, came out for a bow. Accompanying her was a boyish, mustachioed fellow. Most of the audience had no clue who he was. Beaming, he turned to Rihanna and applauded.

This was Adam Selman, Rihanna’s costume designer, who worked with her on the collection. You’re probably more familiar with Mr. Selman than you think. He makes the costumes the singer wears for appearances and videos — those that are not culled from high-fashion labels — like the pink faux-fur bomber from her 777 Tour and the white halter dress from the “Battleship” premiere. The list is long enough to stock a department store. One creation is particularly ubiquitous: the pineapple bikini in her Vita Coco ad.

“I made a mini-collection,” Mr. Selman said, “a whole rail of pineapple clothes. She came to the set and loved it. Every country we go to, there’s a billboard with that pineapple bikini.”

Mr. Selman’s relationship with Rihanna goes beyond pineapples and is close to symbiosis. “Our working relationship is seamless,” she said. “I am so particular and hands on with everything I do, and that can be difficult, but with Adam, it never is. Oftentimes, I describe what I’m thinking for my show or my collection, and his execution is exactly what I wanted.”

In the Rihanna for River Island presentation, slicked-hair bad girls paraded in variations of the Michelle Pfeiffer “Scarface” slit dresses, cheeky skirts and T-shirt dresses that looked like tied-on shirts (complete with sleeves used for belts). There were more exposed midriffs than in a belly-dance troupe.

In fact, the clothes were clever and tough, yet feminine and wearable — and largely affordable, with prices like $200 for a jumpsuit and $75 for zip-back knicker shorts. They go on sale Tuesday at Opening Ceremony stores, and the New York flagship will celebrate with “RIHtrospective,” a museum treatment of her past outfits. In England the line will be hyped by a Mario Sorrenti advertising campaign.

A few weeks before the River Island debut, Mr. Selman was in his scruffy garment district studio, an inauspicious locale for a major player on team Rihanna. “There are a lot of furriers in the building,” he said. “In summer they stretch out big pieces of fur and dry them on the rooftop, and clumps drift past.”

He was brought in to work with Rihanna on her 2011 Loud Tour by his boyfriend, Mel Ottenberg, her stylist. The gig was intended to be temporary, but he kept being called back, and it’s now a full-time job.

“We bounce ideas off each other,” he said of Mr. Ottenberg, “but it gets to a point where we’re like, ‘O.K., we can’t discuss Rihanna at dinner, we have to shut it off.’ ”

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WILLIAM VAN METER | March 1, 2013 | Read More. Article Link

Rihanna launches her first clothing line

Singer Rihanna walks out onto the catwalk 

after the presentation of her Rihanna for River Island 

Autumn/Winter 2013 collection 

during London Fashion Week - Source: Reuters

Pop star Rihanna launched her first clothing line with British high street retailer River Island in one of the most highly anticipated events of London Fashion Week.

Models strutted in a line through a tiered catwalk of five square compartments, pausing in each to showcase midriff-bearing mesh tops and yellow shift dresses.

Denim tank tops were teamed with slouchy jeans, while thigh-high slits featured heavily in the figure-hugging dresses and monochrome skirts.

Rihanna followed the conventions of catwalk shows, appearing momentarily at the end of the display to take bow from the centre of the stage.

The boyish, casual designs are Rihanna's first with River Island, a clothing chain which traces its history on Britain's high streets back 64 years and is known for its youthful clientele.

"I loved it - it's so Rihanna, it's got Rihanna's name all over it," said model Tolula Adeyemi from Los Angeles, who was in the crowd. "I kind of want the whole collection, it's got plenty of swag."

The fashion credentials of the high street have grown in recent years, as more household clothing brands inch onto the catwalks of major fashion centres.
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The Barbados-born singer has already made a foray into fashion, teaming up with Armani Jeans in 2011.

Meanwhile, Rihanna was spotted wearing her 23-year-old boyfriend, Chris Brown's black and red leather jacket in London over the weekend signalling they have resolved their latest differences.

Following months of speculation, Rihanna recently confirmed the couple had reconciled following Brown's violent attack on her in 2009, for which he is still under supervised probation for.

She said: "I decided it was more important for me to be happy, and I wasn't going to let anybody's opinion get in the way of that. Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake.

"After being tormented for so many years, being angry and dark, I'd rather just live my truth and take the backlash. I can handle it."


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Reuters/BANG Showbiz | February 17, 2013 | Article Link

Lady-like elegance features at London Fashion Week

Models present creations from Julien Macdonald
Autumn/Winter 2013 collection during London Fashion Week
- Source: Reuters

Up-and-coming design talent brought military influences while established brands exhibited ladylike elegance on the second day of London Fashion Week, one of the big four catwalk fixtures alongside Paris, New York and Milan.

On a pillar box-red stage, boxy Sixties silhouettes in canary yellow and shocks of fluorescent orange burst into the packed show of British designer Jasper Conran.

Earthy olives muffled loud neons, while cloche hats in matching shades added a feminine finish to the collection, which was viewed from the front row by actor Richard E. Grant.

"There is a hell of a lot of bright colour, which is balanced off with dark aubergines and blues and chocolate browns ... really in your face," Conran told Reuters before the show.

With buyers from 39 different countries attending, the British Fashion Council estimates orders of more than 100 million pounds are placed during London Fashion Week each season.

The direct value of the British fashion industry to Britain's $2.5 trillion economy is 21 billion pounds (NZD $38.54) billion), the council said.

Conran, who also has a high street range at British department store Debenhams, said Britain should see garment manufacturing as a business opportunity.

"China is going to be a huge emerging market for this country, and they want things that are made in Britain. We don't have a manufacturing industry but that doesn't mean we can't create one," he said.

 Sea forts

Coral pink mohair bags and oversized green coats pinned at the waist with matching belts featured in John Rocha's collection.

Rocha, a household name in Britain who also has a range at Debenhams, said he took his inspiration from the countryside surrounding Dublin, where he has lived for more than 20 years.

"It's based a lot on the Irish winter countryside, so almost like tree barks, or roses, it's all about trying to mimic the colour I see outside," Rocha told Reuters after the show.

"I'm just trying to bring all these things together and make something that's beautiful."

The five-day London Fashion Week blends up-and-coming names with veteran designers such as Vivienne Westwood and is best known for its cutting-edge talent and avant garde trends.

Christopher Raeburn, who graduated from London's Royal College of Art four years ago, said he drew inspiration from World War Two sea forts off the coast of England for his quilted, metallic jackets.

"There were these lovely metal structures, they're rusted and they're beautiful and they have such character, so I was really keen to bring some of that into the collection," he said.

Silky, fitted dresses and accessories with military mesh materials featured at his presentation, attended by fashion editors Suzy Menkes from the International Herald Tribune and Vogue's Sarah Harris.

Later, singer Rihanna will add a touch of A-list glamour with the launch of her first clothing line with British high street retailer River Island, one of the 56 catwalk shows taking place.

Looking ahead to Monday, eyes are on Christopher Kane's show, whose label was bought into by French luxury group PPR in January, and American designer Tom Ford who will be showcasing his womenswear on the catwalk for the first time in London.

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Reuters | February 17, 2013 | Article Link

Rihanna Interview Exclusive

SHOWING at London Fashion Week was not something that Rihanna nor her River Island co-designer, Adam Selman, took lightly. On Saturday night, the Vogue cover girl unveiled her debut collection for the high street brand.

"Obviously, it is a huge honour to be able to show at LFW alongside some of the fashion greats," Selman told us. "London has such amazing support for original ideas and concepts, especially in art and fashion. Since the show didn't start out meaning to be a full fashion show, I've tried not to stress myself any more than I have. I've been trying to take it all in stride and enjoy the whole process instead of getting lost in it."

Selman - who works with the singer on her tour costumes, including her 2012 Victoria's Secret outfit - has been developing the collection since June last year. He maintains that, unlike many celebrity-fashion collaborations, Rihanna has been "heavily involved" in designing the line. The pair emailed and called each other frequently in the early stages of the project and the star has been present for all recent fittings.

"This collection is very based upon Ri's style and her mood - so it's evolved a lot," said Selman. "There were things that she couldn't find in the shops - for example simple, black, beautiful dresses, so she created her own. She was really interested in how things sit on the models and how they're cut. This all comes from her - it's very personal. She's at the top of her game right now in terms of her career and in herself. She's in a really good place."

Selman describes the collection as "urban-inspired, unfussy with a hint of uptown" and is targeted at "cool hip girls who aren't super thin". He admitted that the pair did have a few differences when working together - something he believes improved the overall results.

"There were times when I said to her, 'Ri you've got trust me on this.' Then she'd put her foot down and I'd have to let it go," he said. "Other times, she'd go with me. You can't always change or read someone's mind. A little tension is good though. We made a good team - there was never any shouting or screaming."

Selman and Rihanna will soon start work on their next collection for River Island - this time for autumn/winter 2013-14.

"I'm looking forward to getting into it fully," he said. "This is just the beginning of Rihanna's design career."

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ELLA ALEXANDER | FEBRUARY 17, 2013 | Article Link

Vogue UK

London Fashion Week kicks off in monochrome and metallics

(Reuters) - Monochrome dresses inspired by Italian architecture and mirrored skyscrapers kicked off London Fashion Week on Friday as designers showcased elegant and minimalist creations for Autumn/Winter 2013.

British designer Zoe Jordan opened the London leg of the international fashion circuit with grey corseted dresses and flowing skirts, spiced up with splashes of bright amber and dashes of fur.

An architect by training, Jordan said Italian cathedrals and the urban skyline of Hong Kong inspired the sharp silhouettes and metallic finishes of her designs.

"Living amongst those metallic, mirrored skyscrapers all the time does definitely alter your vision a bit," Jordan, who recently returned from a trip to Hong Kong, told Reuters after the show.

"What we are trying to do is that nonchalant glamour, it's a very London thing, you know, the girl who doesn't try too hard," Jordan said of her collection.

One of the big four catwalk fixtures alongside Paris, New York and Milan, London Fashion Week is best known as a cradle for cutting edge talent and avant-garde trends.

The city blends up-and-coming names with veteran designers like Vivienne Westwood in a semi-annual burst of creativity to entice recession-weary consumers back into shops.

The direct value of the British fashion industry to the UK's $2.5 trillion economy is 21 billion pounds, the British Fashion Council (BFC) said.

"London really stands out as a fashion week because they are trying to help support younger designers and find emerging talent. It's not just about praising the big guys, they're looking for the next big thing," Jordan said.

London's art and design schools have been a treasure trove for fashion talent, producing designers such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and a raft of others.

Monochrome was echoed by the design duo Fyodor Golan (Fyodor Podgorny and Golan Frydman), who presented a collection of black, ivory and burnt pumpkin, adorned with baroque sketches or embellished with beads.

Skirts and dresses were subtly sexy keeping thighs and chests covered while showing off shoulders and the nape of the neck.

"For us it's all about sexuality - exploring, showing it but not in a perverse way - just going for it," Podgorny said of London Fashion Week.

Looking ahead, the spotlight will shine on American designer Tom Ford, who will be showcasing his womenswear on the catwalk for the first time in London, having previously limited viewings to select fashion insiders and editors of glossy magazines.

Singer Rihanna will add a touch of A-list glamour on Saturday with the launch of her first clothing line with British high street retailer River Island, one of the 56 catwalk shows taking place over the five-day event.

"London fashion is crazy because you've got new designers, you've got fashion, you've got parties...for me it's just about showcasing your talent really," said British actress Jaime Winstone from the front row of Jordan's show.

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Alice Baghdjian | Reuters | February 15, 2013 | Article Link