The curtain might have fallen on London Fashion Week (LFW) – but bosses hope the runway of the future will start to look a bit different. Fashion Britain is the British Fashion Council’s initiative to open up access to talent outside of London – so how do you shift the focus away from the traditional centre of that world? The council told BBC Newsbeat it has been working with LFW on a series of pop-up events in England, Wales and Scotland to show this year’s event was “bigger than London”. Northern Ireland wasn’t included as a location for this year’s initiative – but will be included next year, the council said.
A recent House of Commons report, external found that more than half (51%) of the creative industries’ economic output was generated in London in 2022. However, it did report that there are “clusters of creative industries” across the country, which included cities like Manchester and Leeds. “A lot of people think in order to make it big, you have come to this big city because it has the schools here,” says Charles Jeffrey, founder and creative director of international fashion label Loverboy. “But actually, there is so much amazing education that happens in different places,” the Scottish designer tells Newsbeat.
“I first started [in] a tiny studio in Dalston [in east London] and we were having to use fabrics from these cheap fabric shops that you would probably only really get in London because of the rag trade,” he recalls. “Now a lot of them have gone and what made London a capital city for fashion has been taken away, so you’re probably better getting your fabrics from a little fabric shop in Manchester – it’s probably ten times cheaper.” Jeffrey supported Fashion Britain this year, with the aim of opening doors in the industry for creatives outside of London, but how feasible will that be? Birmingham City University graduate Imarnie Bennett knows a bit about the struggle. She travelled to the capital to showcase her project with fellow BCU fashion graduates to an audience at Somerset House.
“London is such a big city, it’s really well known and there are lots of opportunities,” says the 22-year-old. “You hear Birmingham and it’s a bit like, ‘will they get us the same opportunities as London?’, but I feel like Birmingham is becoming more noticed for what we do.” Bennett says you can harness the power of being different. “Even colours, some cities are brighter and warmer than others, so it changes people’s perspectives on things,” she says. Yet fellow designer Sean Pajarillo says he is hopeful about job opportunities because of how the technology and fashion industry is moving.
“The merging of industries is what’s going to create new opportunities for someone in the future,” says the 25-year-old. Natalie Potter is network director at the British Fashion Council, and says the Fashion Britain initiative is “about recognising that British fashion is bigger than London”. Potter says that in the run up to LFW there were events in London, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Dundee and Cardiff. But what happens after the catwalk leaves town?
Potter says the aim of Fashion Britain is that it will connect talent to “the infrastructure and opportunities that they need to grow”. “So working with the big global businesses that we do across the country to make sure that they’ve got routes to retail, to give them active mentorship,” she explains. Potter says this will happen “locally and regionally”. This is something that British designer Priya Ahluwalia believes is vital.
“I do think there is a genuine issue with London being seen as the centre of the universe in terms of fashion,” she says. “There is incredible talent from all over the UK, some of the best designers have come from the north, come from Wales, Scotland”. Ahluwalia spoke to Newsbeat after showcasing her archive at Westfield Stratford City shopping centre as part of Fashion Week. The designer explained how practical help is important in helping talent access the industry.
“Whether we decentralise or not, London is still going to be the centre of UK fashion. “There needs to also be support for people to be able to travel to London, show up in London”, Ahluwalia says. For Jeffrey, formal training isn’t the only way into the fashion world. “Sometimes having a university degree does kind of put your foot in the door – but honestly, I really think it’s just about the work and work ethic.” Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.
