The Exhibition at London Fashion Week

The British Fashion Council today announces this season’s line-up of established and new designers for The Exhibition at London Fashion Week. Designer labels, from ready-to-wear to accessories will showcase their Autumn/Winter 2009 collections at the ‘new look’ exhibition that will see the catwalk and exhibition tents combined to create a central ‘hub’ on the East lawn of the Natural History Museum.

The Exhibition at London Fashion Week will open at 10am, on Saturday 21st February 2009. This season will give visitors the opportunity to see some of the industry’s most creative and exciting accessory designers showcasing bags, footwear and jewellery, alongside new and established ready-to-wear designers. Within The Exhibition there are dedicated areas for New Gen supported by Topshop, which showcases the work of some of the most promising names in and estethica sponsored by Monsoon, with designers whose collections adhere to the three main principles of ethical fashion: fair-trade, recyclable, organic.

New collections that have joined The Exhibition at London Fashion Week include a lingerie collective made up of six designers including Bordelle, Fred and Ginger and The Modern Courtesean.

Vibrant, innovative and diverse fashion, The Exhibition plays home to some of the world’s favourite and most sort after brands such as Anonymous by Ross + Bute, Beatrix Ong, Linda Farrow Vintage, MiH Jeans London, Mawi and Zoe and Morgan. Established favourites, such as Stephen Jones with his haute couture millinery will be showcased together with newcomers Graeme Armour‘s ready-to-wear collection, Jacob Kimmie‘s distinctly British label collection, Marcelle Symons who restores beautiful vintage dresses to their former glory, and new jewellery designers Fiona Paxton, Super Fertile Limited and Vice & Vanity.

London continues to produce a creative energy among its designers which enables it to maintain its reputation as one of the most ground-breaking fashion capitals.

New Gen at The Exhibition supported by Topshop for the fifteenth consecutive season, will showcase eighteen designers tipped for success. First time exhibitors are knitwear designers Mark Fast and Craig Lawrence both of whom take a craft-based sculptural approach with very different results, KTZ by design duo Sasko Bezovski and Marjan Pejoski, props stylist and accessories designer Fred Butler, shoe designer Nicholas Kirkwood and ready to wear and previous Fashion East designer Louise Gray. This season’s New Gen area will have a centralised bar and tuck shop.

estethica was founded by the British Fashion Council three years ago to showcase the growing movement in London of cutting edge designers devoted to working in an eco sustainable way. estethica, sponsored by Monsoon, continues to grow in strength and from its first season of 13 designers is now a collection of 37. All estethica designers adhere to at least one of the estethica principles of fair-trade, organic and recycled and are selected for both their ethical credentials and design excellence. The estethica Guide, also sponsored by Monsoon will include interviews with all the exhibitors and a photoshoot created by Marie Clare.

Valery Demure will be returning to The Exhibition with four carefully handpicked accessory designers. All with completely individual collections – Forget Me Not, will be showing their collection of scarves, Ilya Fleet, their handbags and belts, Uli, jewellery and knitwear accessories from Michaela Buerga.

Hilary Riva, Chief Executive of the British Fashion Council commented “This season through careful show scheduling and by bringing the exhibition and show venue under one roof, we are making The Exhibition more accessible to media and buyers between catwalk shows.”

The Exhibition offers a variety of refuelling relaxation points for visitors to enjoy including the Fashion Forward Cafe, The Lavazza Cafe and The Chambord Bar which from February becomes the official VIP bar for the catwalk area. The Exhibition also offers visitors a spacious press office with a selection of computers, printer facilities, WIFI access, a seating area and refreshments.