“The future of fashion is digital” according to Natalie Massenet , chairman of the British Fashion Counci, at the launch of London Fashion Week.
Dressed in a sleek black Victoria Beckham dress, Massenet outlined plans for growth arguing that harnessing the tools of technology to fashion expands international business opportunities.
Some 43 per cent of British designers now have e-commerce websites, a figure she expected to rise to 100 per cent.
“We can happily say that London is set to be the most tech-savvy capital in the world in the not too distant future”.
This season more and more shows are being streamed live, the council is launching a shop with eBay to develop new audiences and there are live discussion panels with leading experts on how technology has changed fashion. According to Peter Fitzgerald of Google, BFC's Digital Pillar President who has organised digital "boot camp" sessions with over 90 British designers in the last eighteen months, the aim is to get everyone on the fashion schedule online in the next two to three years
Some of the first shows made a big impression. That of J.JS Lee, a master pattern cutter known for her formidable precision and tailoring, opened with classic trouser suits in French navy slashed with orange or neon alongside pretty, full skirted knife pleated dresses in laminated cotton with Peter Pan collars. Her way with shadow stripes used asymmetrically was good too for black trouser suits or light gold dresses.
Bora Aksu who usually draws from his Turkish background, sent out an ultra feminine tableau of ballerina dresses in all types of lace, tulle and organza inspired by Victorian paper dolls. Sporting one of his dresses in the front row was MTV presenter Laura Whitmore, a big fan of the designer. Equally delicate were the China blue and white prints which closed this lovely collection.
The new femininity was also evident in Paul Costelloe's girly flounces and 50s style empire line dresses in textured brocades. Showing for the first time in two seasons, the veteran Irish designer will be launching a capsule womenswear collection for Dunnes Stores next month.
