London Fashion Week inspires retailers to get creative

By

Florent Gilles

Published
Sep 19, 2013

In a press release before the start of five days, 58 shows and 15 presentations, Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “London bestrides the world of fashion like a dapper titan and I’m proud to support London Fashion Week, which showcases the brightest and best designers working today. This week promises to be the most exciting yet, offering opportunities for even more people to feel a part of the fashion pack, with pop up stores, live streaming and even a film festival. But it’s not just about how creative and stylish London is, it’s a big moneyspinner, bringing in orders from around the globe and generating billions for our economy.”

The message was heard far and wide, from retailers like Topshop and departments store such as Harvey Nichols who both cashed in on the event to reach out to the 5000 visitors from 52 countries that came to the city for the event. The British Fashion Council even got in on the retail action, setting a pop-up store showcasing young and emerging talent in the thick of the action at Somerset House.

Luxury multi-brand retailer Brown’s Focus took the opportunity to celebrate its ultra-modern concept store which was designed by Studio Toogood, the people behind Christie’s, Alexander McQueen and Burberry. A second cult London name, Wolf & Badger, even put on its own presentation at its flagship store on the ever-popular Dover Street. The brand, which also has locations in Notting Hill and Mayfair, thought it only natural to present its young British collection during London Fashion Week.

Independant retailer Machine-A - under the direction of Anna Traveylan, former assistant to Nicola Formichetti – came out with perhaps the week’s most original concept, teaming up with the New York-based V-Files to showcase each other’s collection at their respective Soho stores during New York and London Fashion Week in order to give bring local brands to new markets across the Atlantic. The two created a tongue-in-chic video to reach out to its digitally-connected customers and share the idea of a shop-in-shop swap.