To promote the growing number of brands and designers selling mainline or resort collections during this period, The British Fashion Council (BFC) announced plans for London Collections: Women commencing 18th June.
Last year the British Fashion Council created a guide to Pre-Collections that was well received by British and international buyers. London Collections: Women moves this initiative forward, co-ordinating events and activity to focus on this increasingly important sales period, launched a dedicated website and will create a map that will be available to pick up from Somerset House, designer showrooms and participating multibrand showrooms.
The BFC will raise awareness with buyers, press and stylists and are working with the designers selling in London during this period to share information on buyers in the UK at this time.
Among the names confirmed by the BFC, we note the presence of Alice by Temperley; Antipodium; Anya Hindmarch; Caroline Charles; Charlotte Olympia; Erdem; House of Holland; Issa London; Matthew Williamson; Michael Van der Ham; Mulberry; Nicholas Kirkwood ; Nicole Farhi ; Orla Kiely; Osman; Ostwald Helgason; Paul Smith; Peter Jensen; Preen by Thornton Bregazzi; Pringle of Scotland; Richard Nicoll; Roksanda Ilincic; Roland Mouret; Rupert Sanderson.
London Collections: Women will commence immediately after London Collections: Men, a brand new menswear showcase of shows, presentations, installations, exhibition and events, promoting British menswear.
"The aim of London Collections: Women is to create a resource for buyers, media and stylists to navigate the breadth of designers selling in London during this time. Many designers showing at London Fashion Week have now introduced pre-collections, some for the very first time this season. There are great showrooms here in London and we want to encourage as many as orders as possible to be written here," commented Caroline Rush, CEO BFC.
"Whilst runway is incredibly important, it arrives much later and therefore pre-collections are vitally significant and highly commercial. All of our big International designer and contemporary labels offer pre- collections and increasingly smaller brands are introducing a pre-collection offering, to ensure the floor is constantly refreshed with new deliveries. London Collections: Women will provide brands with an exciting opportunity to showcase and promote their pre-collections, creating a must-see destination for buyers to visit." said Marigay McKee, Chief Merchant, Harrods.
