Hello, My Name Is Paul Smith

If you're visiting London between now and March be sure to stop by the Design Museum to check out the new Paul Smith exhibition. The massive exhibition finally opened last week and is already receiving rave reviews. Curated by Donna Loveday, the museum is hoping that the exhibit will rival its previous (and record breaking) Louboutin exhibition for popularity. 

It is said to give an immersive insight in to the world of all things Paul Smith, Loveday stated that it has been curated to appeal to a wide audience and is confident it will be a success, especially with Paul Smiths stellar reputation however they're promising that even new fans will find out something they don't know about the menswear designer.

You'll have to opportunity to delve in to all things Paul Smith as you take a journey through every chapter of Smith's lengthy career starting at his very first store. A tiny 3 x 3 metre boutique first opened in Nottingham in 1970, well a recreation obviously. Then you can take a look in to the makeshift dupe of the designers office and all the wonderful things you'd find in their, collected over the years from his many travels around the globe. 

Paul Smith and Donna Loveday worked very closely to create the showcase to take you inside the mind of one of Britain's most famous designers. So whether you're a Paul Smith fan or not, if you're looking to be inspired or just fancy a nice day out, get yourself to the Design Museum!

Karl Lagerfeld Comes to London

Karl Lagerfeld will open a flagship store on London's Regent Street for his self titled label Karl Lagerfeld in March 2014, it has been announced.
The store will be his largest in Europe to date, spanning an impressive 2,700 square feet and will sell both and mens and womens ready to wear and accessories. Karl Lagerfeld's CEO has said that opening in Regent Street is an excellent opportunity as its the perfect position for this important market. 

The store is set to incorporate impressive technology heavily, from the dressing rooms which will apparently contain photo booths with instagram like filters to a digital guestbook for customers to leave special comments for the designer. Its been said that luxury consumers are all about the experience and not the products now, it looks like Karl got the message.  Keep your eyes peeled for more info!

Is Street Wear Still A Thing?

Topshop Oxford Street (aka HELL) is home to hundreds of underground brands on its bottom floor, from Motel to Sister Jane they have it all. When I was wondering around the colossal store this Saturday I spotted a large section of Stussy sweatshirts and t-shirts merged in with the brands own lines on its first floor. My little knowledge of Stussy stems from my past relationship, he was one of them skinny white boys who listens to hip hop and says he loves skating but can't actually do it. 

So hip it hurts

Stussy is a clothing brand that started in California in the 80's and has now been adopted by street wearing, hip hop listening, tumblr lovin, Supreme types. It seems that Stussy has finally hit the mainstream, but doesn't everything after a while. I thought street wear was a thing of 2011 that disappeared with Tyler the Creator and the rest of Odd Future (minus Frank we love him) but with all the Air Jordans, Snapbacks and beanies all over the place it would seem that isn't the case. The popularity of street wear seemed to grow simultaneously with the popularity of street style, but it seems to me that a lot of people are well over street style so perhaps street wear is heading in the same direction soon. 

Interesting..

Mulberry Backs Out Of LFW 2014

Bruno Guillon, Lana Del Rey and Emma Hill

Mulberry was rocked this summer when it was announced that Emma Hill would be quitting her position as creative director for the British handbag specialist. After creating the Alexa and Del Rey bags which proved to be a huge success, questions were asked about her departure, it was announced that she left after "disagreements with management over creative and operational strategy". For the six years whilst Hill was the the helm of Mulberry, the houses popularity greatly increased and they filled the whimsical, girly gap left by Luella. Hill also introduced entry-level price points which appealed to the younger Mulberry women with less cash to burn, this seems to be where the differences begun. In 2012 Bruno Guillon (previously of Hermes) was appointed chief executive of Mulberry and his sole intention seems to be to re-emphasise the luxury nature of Mulberry. For example in autumn 2012 oversaw a substantial increase in Mulberry's prices across the board.

It seems Mulberry's troubles don't stop there. It was announced today that Mulberry will be backing out of Februarys Fashion Week, Mulberry was always one of the most anticipated shows with an a list packed front row so to see it go is sad. It seems that Mulberry is having trouble filling its creative director vacancy after Emma Hill left in June, rumoured successors have ranged from Erdem to Mary Katrantzou. Its been announced however that Mulberry will still feature in the LFW schedule but we'll have to wait till nearer the time for more info!

LFW starts 13th - 17th February.

Graduate Fashion Week New Venue Announced!

When it was announced that Earls Court was set to be demolished one of the big questions was, so where will Graduate Fashion Week be hosted? As one of the most important events of the year for fashion graduates up and down the country this was the question on most students minds. Well we can finally reveal the answer! It has been announced that GFW 2014 will be hosted at the Truman Brewery, East London!

The Truman Brewery was the rumoured location for the event and now its finally been confirmed what do you think? We had a discussion in class, is Shoreditch still considered edgy and cool? Apparently so I imagine thats one of the main reasons this venue was selected, GFW describe it as 'Londons buzzing creative district'. What do you think of the chosen venue? How do you feel about having your work showcased there? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Ravensbourne Graduate Kit Neale Recognised by NEWGEN

One of Ravensbournes very own graduates, Kit Neale has gone on to receive funding from the BFC's NewGen initiative! NEWGEN was first founded in 1993 as an initiative to support up and coming designers and have been picking up on some of Britains hottest talents for years. Kit Neale is just one of the three designers who have been selected to be supported by NEWGEN at London Collections: Men this coming January, the others are Common and Deigo Vanassibara.

Menswear has never had as much a push as womens so its exciting to see the British Fashion Council giving budding menswear designers a helping hand. Kit Neale focuses on graphic printed menswear with a cool vibe, heres some of his pieces check out his website for more info and make sure to keep your eyes open for him at LC:M!

Liberty London Opens its Doors to Channel 4

Liberty is one of London’s biggest department stores and this Autumn the prestigious store is exclusively opening its doors to Channel 4 for a fly on the wall documentary following the stores employees during the lead up to Christmas.
The documentary is based on the BBC2 documentary that went behind the scenes at major Mayfair hotel Claridges. The 3 part series follows managing director Ed Burstell, head of marketing and communications Kate Brindley and the retail team. Burstell told WWWD that the show will have a real focus on the business of fashion and will follow the staff as they visit fashion week and arrange buying meetings etc. The show will air in the UK then internationally at a later date. 
Why have Liberty decided to open itself to the world on television, and why now? Burstell said "I really hope that Making Liberty will bring a new customer to Liberty and show people that perhaps haven't visited the store in a while that we aren't just seeping in our heritage, or resting on our floral-printed laurels, or just 'expensive'," said Brindley. "We are a brand that thrives on innovation and we have something for everyone." I for one am very excited about the upcoming documentary; it will give a really exciting insight in to the well-known store. Are you guys excited?

Beckham Causes a Stir at Belstaff Opening

A lot of fashion week seems to of been dominated by the man candy this year. First David Beckham broke a million hearts with baby Harper at Victoria’s show in New York then Harry Styles caused pandemonium when he attended Burberry Prorsum and House of Holland. 
Beckham outdid all that hands down on Sunday evening, the whole on Bond St was bought to a standstill by the opening of the new Belstaff store and everyone was expecting a ‘special guest’. David Beckham arrived to celebrate the opening leather clad riding a motorcycle, sounds like any girls dream huh. Its clever thinking on Belstaff’s behalf as David Beckham is one of the biggest stars in the world, women want to sleep with him and men want to go to the pub with him (and probably sleep with him too) in fact I’ve yet to meet a person with a bad thing to say about Mr Beckham which makes him the perfect candidate to endorse a brand. Men look up to stars such as David Beckham and tend to imitate celebrities instead of looking towards the catwalks for trend advice.  I expect well been seeing Beckham out in a lot of Belstaff soon, and its more than likely well start seeing boys sporting Beckham quiffs and black leather jackets in no time.

London Fashion Week SS14 Highlights

It doesn’t even feel that long ago since February’s fashion week, yet SS14 LFW is almost over! Concluding today with shows from Simone Rocha, Fashion East and Meadham Kirchhoff among others it’s safe to say its been a very exciting week for fashion. From the looks of things summer 2014 will be all about pastels and femininity and a hell of a lot of white. 2014 will be the summer of the LWD (little white dress FYI).

With over 120 designers exhibiting their work we couldn’t possibly go over every collection shown over the last couple of days so here I’ve rounded up just a few of my personal faves!

Christopher Kane
Over the years Kane has established himself as one of Britain’s finest designers outdoing himself season after season and SS14 was no different. Kane took to studying flowers under a microscope for his collection, making flowers new and exciting isn’t an easy task. Dresses had large petal shape cut outs traced in shiny patent on pastel dresses. The shapes were clean, clinical and feminine. Kane also paid tribute to the trophy sweat, which doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, some with graphic botanical related prints and another that stood out to me with a cut out shoulder and beautiful jeweled embellishment around the shoulder. Moreover he’s announced he’ll be opening his first store, is there any stopping this man?

Burberry Prorsum
Christopher Bailey always pulls out all the stops to make Burberry one of the most memorable shows of fashion week. The star-studded frow including Anna Wintour, Sienna Miller, Alexa Chung and Harry Styles didn’t take away from the stunning clothes. With sheer lace skirts and pretty candy pastels the collection somewhat reminded me of Louis Vuitton’s 2012 collection. With beautiful lilac spring coats and loose trenches the show was a resounding success for Burberry. Models were showered with rose petals for one of the most beautiful finales of the week.

Erdem
Erdem's collections are almost instantly recognizable thanks to his romantic silhouettes and light florals. This season the romance remained but the colourful florals were gone. Erdems monochromatic show was a sure fire standout of the week. The intricate lace and florals were still there only in a strict palette of black and white, this collection seemed more focused on textural exploration than pretty prints. The knee length woven and sheer panel coat was to die for. Erdem chose this collection to push his own personal boundaries and leaving his comfort zone, and it really worked.  What will Erdem do next?

Simone Rocha
Newgen winner Simone Rocha (daughter of John) has been gradually building herself in the fashion industry. Still considered a relatively new designer her past collections have received rave reviews and been spotted on stars from Alexa Chung to Chloe Moretz. Rocha shows no signs of slowing down, as she presented another romantically edgy collection this morning. Although each garment was feminine and light, Rocha added a punk edge with green mohawks, masculine lace ups and beautiful pearl hold ups. Rocha experimented with sharper silhouettes, intricate detailing and different textures, this collections is a sign her works maturing and she’s showing no signs of disappearing any time soon, expect a lot more from her. 

Remembering Antonio Lopez, The King Of Illustration

Antonio Lopez was one of the most influential fashion illustrators of our time, nicknamed the ‘King of Fashion Illustration’ Lopez was a massive influence in the 1960’s.  To celebrate his life and work an exhibition is being held at Roland Mourets Townhouse from September 14th to October 20th. 
Whether you’re a fan of Lopez’s work or just an art lover it’s a definite must see. Lopez’s work has featured in the pages of Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar and even the New York Times. The exhibition marks what would have been the artists 70^th birthday and will also include an auction of some of Lopez’s most famous pieces along with some of his unseen work, exciting! 

Lopez’s legacy lives one as American make up manufacturer MAC are to release a limited edition collection inspired by some of his finest works. His graphic and bold use of colour goes hand in hand with make up. The collection will be launched around a similar time to the exhibition, definitely one to check out!

The Glamour Of Bellville Sassoon, A Retrospective

Dressing Princess Diana is a pretty big deal and Bellville Sassoon did just that. The Fashion and Textile Museum are playing host to some of Bellville Sassoons most iconic works spanning six decades. 
Bellville Sassoon was once one of Britains most iconic labels, worn by Jackie Kennedy, Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor. Moreover Sassoon is one of the only labels to of designed for every member of the royal family (minus the Queen). David Sassoon started the house with Belinda Sassoon, David retired after 55 years last year which meant it was the perfect time to hold a retrospective for the label. 
We were fortunate enough to have a talk from David at university last year which gave a great insight to the label and from that I can tell you this a must see for fans of fashion!The exhibit will run from the 20th September to 11th January 2014 so if you’re not down South you’ve got plenty of time to get down there and take a glimpse at some of Bellville Sassoon's best works. Tickets range from £8-£5, you’ll find the Fashion and Textile Museum on 83 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3XF. 

NYC or LDN?

Is New York the place to be? It seems some of our homegrown talents are abandoning their homeland. Its known that Stella McCartney shows in Paris and now Victoria Beckham has chosen to show at New York as opposed to London. There seem to be several reasons she’d choose New York. Firstly her simplistic womanly silhouettes perhaps suit New York Fashion Week a lot more than London Fashion Week, which is often credited for its edginess and creativity. Moreover, New York seems to be where the money is. After all why do people go in to business? Some of it is for the love of fashion and creativity but someone would be lying if they said it wasn’t for the money. Being known internationally also works in her favour. Most British designers would have to build their success in Britain before crossing the Atlantic to the States, whereas VB who is already stinking rich and internationally famous its an easy move to make. At Vogue Festival VB said she felt ‘settled’ in New York so were not expecting her back in London anytime soon.

British label All Saints have also chosen to showcase their Summer 2014 collection in New York. This seems a little strange to me, as All Saints isn’t a particularly big brand in Britain. Perhaps they’re hoping they will attract more customers with a risky move to the big apple. I guess they will have to measure the success of this season as to whether they do the same next season.  I don’t see this affecting the British High Street at all, fans of All Saints will continue to shop there regardless it could only make things better for the brand.

Oxford Street Celebrates London Fashion Week

It seems that everyone wants a part in London Fashion Week this year, and being one of the biggest high streets it’s a wonder Oxford St never got involved before. This year Oxford St are launching a 17 day festival to coincide with Fashion Week, the festival will give shoppers the opportunity to mingle with top British designers and models in the build up to fashion week. The collaboration is part of Oxford Sts efforts to affirm itself as ‘the most powerful fashion destination in the world’. The British Fashion Council has teamed up with Oxford St to arrange various pop up events which will feature some of the biggest names in the industry offering make overs and advice for those wanting to progress in to the industry. Some of the biggest high street stores are also getting involved such as Topshop, Selfridges, John Lewis and H&M. To me this seems like a brilliant idea to promote both Oxford St and Fashion Week and is also a brilliant way to get involved if you didn’t (like many of us boohoo) many to snag a ticket to the prestigious event so make sure to get yourselves down there guys!

Regent Street and Conduit Street: London's New Shopping Meccas?

We all know Oxford Street but it looks like theres a couple of new places looking to take the lead. Regent St and Conduit St are both looking to gain significant popularity with the arrival of new and exciting retailers which have the capability of turning Regent St and Conduit St in to shopping Meccas.
Regent St most recently opened its arms to Swedish brand '& Other Stories' (of the H&M, COS group), being the only store in the UK this got people talking, like COS but with H&M price tags the store has been a great success. 
And things don't seem to be quietening down at Regent St as 2013 will see the opening of the very first J Crew store outside of the US. The American brand has already established istelf as a big player after being spotted on the likes of Katie Holmes and first lady Michelle Obama, who claims its one of her favourite brands! Simple, chic, womanly silhouettes and with luxury twists on wardbrobe staples its not hard to see why the brand has done so well. 
Futhermore it has been annnounced that Hackett London, who's clientele includes Prince William, have payed Ferrari around £4m to take the lease for its Regent St store, while the Crown Estate will confirm on Friday that Watches of Switzerland will next year open the UK’s largest stand-alone watch store in the new W4 development. In a time of the dying high street, it seem Regent St is doing extremely well, their rental values have more than doubled making Regent St worth £2.6bn compared to its £700m in 2002.
 

Dior, Bond Street

Situated of Oxford St and near Liberty is Conduit St, home to more luxury labels such as Vivienne Westwood and Belstaff. The street is looking to be galvanised by the opening of a massive Dior store. Dior opened their first store in Conduit St 60 years ago and have just signed a 10 year lease on the 3,300 sq foot store, which will span over 3 floors. Dior will pay £308,500 pa, which equates to £360 zone A, the highest rent achieved to date on the street. Being right near Bond St means that it benefits from fierce demand from luxury retailers. The new store will be in addittion to the current store on Bond St and Anthony Selwyn, the head of Central London retail, has stated that he believes the opening of this store will lead to several more luxury brands to take space in the location over the next year.
Ill be keeping a close watch on new stores coming to both Regent St and Conduit St and will definetely visit the new Dior store! If you're in London make sure to visit both, they're the place to shop at the moment, our new shopping meccas!

LONDON FASHION WEEK SS14

Its almost that time of year again! It barely feels that long since February but within a month or two Somerset House will be thriving with fashionistas and bloggers once more as fashion week begins. Get your first glance of what you'll be wearing next summer this September. Fashion week starts on Friday the 13th September (unlucky for some) and continues till Tuesday 17th. The schedule can be found on the LFW website now.
Its always exciting to see who the NEWGEN winners are, the ones to keep an eye out for hotly tipped by the British Fashion Council! This years winners for the catwalk areeee (drumroll)... Korean born Central Saint Martins graduate J.JS Lee, known for her chic, minimalist and modern tailoring, LCF graduate Lucas Nascimento who has previously shown at Rio Fashion Week and specialises in knitwear, Marques Almeida a design duo from Portugal who have worked with Vivienne Westwood and Preen, three man design team Sister by Sibling who also specialise in knitwear and Simone Rocha, daughter of designer John Rocha whose designs have been praised internationally and worn by the likes of Alexa Chung and Lady Gaga, she's been tipped as London's brightest young design talent, definitely one to keep your eye on she will be big!
The presentation winners are 1205 who has experience at Savile Row so expect to see immaculate tailoring, Nasir Mazhar who says Lil Kim embodies his brand and shoe designer Sophia Webster who worked at Nicholas Kirkwood, expect single soles and feminine lines.
The exhibition space has been awarded to upcoming shoe designer Liam Fahy who studied at DeMontfort where he was awarded the Drapers Footwear Designer of the Year award whilst he was studying. He won the Fashion Fringe Accessory Award in 2008 judged by king of shoes Manolo Blahnik.
If you can't get down to Somerset House or like the majority of us don't get invited to the shows be sure to watch the live streams and keep up on twitter and instagram!

The NEWGEN winners for SS14

Sister By Sibling AW12

Simone Rocha AW13

Marques Almeida

Sophia Webster

#REGENTTWEET

Unless you live under a rock its likely youre part of the twitter community, with over 500 million worldwide users it makes sense that this is the perfect place to advertise. Thats just what Regent St have done, the infamous shopping street has somewhat of a wide online presence reaching consumers all over the world. With shops from Burberry to Zara and with recent editions such as & Other Stories (from the H&M brand and the 1st in the UK) its easy to see why Regent St could soon be over taking Oxford St as the go-to shopping location in the big city.
To further their online presence, a couple of years ago Regent St created Regent Tweet (see what they did there huh), this year was its third year and the event took place on the 22nd June.
The event is created especially for bloggers throughout Europe, they then spend the day shopping and tweeting. There were various competitions and discounts available throughout the day.
There were various goodie bags available for the bloggers throughout the day featuring goodies from UGG Australia and Four London. There were also talks from insiders such as writer Christopher Riley and esteemed fahion blogger Susie Bubble.
If you browse the hashtag #regenttweet you'll be sure to find plenty of photos from the event, here are a few from http://www.iamgalla.com!