London Fashion Week: a city-wide festival to celebrate culture, fashion and art
A whole series of cultural events, talks, exhibitions and in-store activities are set to bring London Fashion Week to life across the capital. It’s a celebration of the creative industries, from fashion, music, art, tech and design throughout the month of September, and all activities will be open to the public. Here’s a selection of what to expect.
London Fashion Week Festival
From 20-23 September
The Store X, 180 Strand, London, WC2R 1EA
London Fashion Week Festival welcomes 14,000 people across four-days offering the ultimate fashion experience to visitors, with curated shopping galleries from over 150 international and British brands, catwalk shows, industry talks and style presentations. The event invites visitors to experience the atmosphere of London Fashion Week in its official venue and gain an insight into the fashion industry. This season the designer runway will host Bobby Abley, Georgia Hardinge, Katharine Hamnett and Mother of Pearl to show their a/w18 collections.
All at Matchesfashion.com, 5 Carlos Place, London W1K 3AP:
Mario Sorrenti Kate Moss book launch and signing, September 15, 5-6pm: The world-renowned fashion photographer hosts cocktails and an exclusive signing of his book of never before shown photographs of Kate Moss, published by Phaidon this September.
#SarahsList: Sarah Mower and Richard Quinn in conversation, September 18, 7-8pm: International fashion industry talent spotter and nurturer of young design talent, Sarah Mower, talks to British designer Richard Quinn about his s/s19 collection, and receiving the inaugural Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design.
Garance Doré and Gauthier Borsarello in Conversation, September 20, 7-8pm: Writer, creative director and founder of Atelier Doré, Garance Doré, and vintage curator and style director of Holiday Boileau, Gauthier Borsarello, come together for an in-conversation on lifestyle and vintage. Also available to watch live online at MatchesFashion.com.
Holiday Boileau Bespoke Masterclass, September 20, 4-8pm: Customise one-off vintage Levi’s with vintage experts Super Stitch, plus create personalised lettering for your trainers with graphic designer Alaric Garnier.
Holiday Café, September 20-29: Creative director Franck Durand’s Holiday Boileau brand hosts a pop-up café as an exclusive collection launches. Plus, don’t miss renowned music producer Frédéric Sanchez’s stunning visual and music installation.
Behind Every Great City
Unveiling of department store windows
13 September: Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and Harvey Nichols
London’s iconic department stores are marking 100 years since the first women in the UK won the right to vote, by unveiling window displays dedicated to commemorating the suffrage movement. Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and Harvey Nichols are uniting behind the mayor’s #behindeverygreatcity campaign to mark the historic centenary with prominent window displays which celebrate the progress of women over the last 100 years.
Marques’ Almeida pop-up shop
September 14 (10am - 8pm) and September 15 (10am - 6pm)
6 Babmaes Street, London SW1Y 6HD
Designer duo Marques’ Almeida will be hosting an exclusive pop-up store during London Fashion Week in London and online. Exclusive Marques’ Almeida product will be available to shop, alongside re-editions of some of their most loved classic styles and current a/w18 product.
Anya Hindmarch ‘Chubby Cloud’ installation
14-16 September
Banqueting House, Whitehall, Westminster, London SW1A 2ER
Anya Hindmarch is creating ‘Chubby Cloud’, an experiential installation inspired by the cloud motif in her a/w18 ‘Chubby’ collection. Visitors will be able to climb on and sink into the world’s largest bean bag under the only in-situ Sir Peter Paul Rubens painted ceiling in the world. The three-day event will include a series of talks, meditations and music, as well as a pop-up shop.
Drawing on Style – Masters of Fashion Illustration
14-21 September 2018
Gallery 8, 8 Duke Street, St James’s, London, SW1Y 6BN
Gray M.C.A presents ‘Drawing on Style’, a new exhibition of rare original fashion illustrations, at Gallery 8 on Duke, highlighting the extraordinary talents of leading fashion artists of the 20th century, including rare and previously unseen original works by masters of the genre. A free talk in the exhibition space will be held at 1.30pm daily throughout the exhibition.
Dover Street Market: Stan Smith in-store signing
Monday 17 September, 4-6pm
Dover Street Market, 18-22 Haymarket, London SW1Y 4DG
Former world No1 tennis player, Stan Smith, will be in-store to sign copies of his new coffee table book Stan Smith: ‘Some People Think I’m a Shoe’ (Rizzoli, £40), as well as a limited number of his iconic Adidas Stan Smith sneaker.
Liberty - Q&A with Alexa Chung & Raven Smith
17 September on the 2nd floor from 6-9pm
Regent St, Carnaby, London W1B 5AH
To celebrate their a/w18 collection titled ‘Hotel Motel’, Alexa Chung and Raven Smith will sit down to discuss the collection and the brands debut at LFW, along with a range of topics in and outside of the fashion industry. The collection will be available to shop in store throughout the month of September and Lou Hayter will DJ a party in the same space following the Q&A on Monday 17.
Fashion in Focus Tours
Until 30 September
Victoria and Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 2RL
These special tours explore the V&A's outstanding collection through a fashion focus. Each tour highlights a unique selection of garments, textiles and accessories from the museum's renowned fashion collection and galleries beyond. The one-hour tours take place on all Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 3pm and Saturdays at 1pm throughout September. The V&A will also be putting on a a seminal exhibition exploring the relationship between fashion and nature from 1600 to the present, called ‘Fashioned From Nature’ – running until 27 January 2019. London Fashion Week designers, Christopher Kane, Erdem, JW Anderson and Margaret Howell are all featured in this exhibition.
Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern
Until 23 September 2018
Fashion and Textile Museum, 83 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3XF
This exhibition explores the power of decoration to transform the way we feel. Featuring over 150 patterns and products, as well as collaborations with photographers, film directors and architects, Orla Kiely: A Life in Pattern emphasises the role of ornament and colour in our everyday lives.
Azzedine Alaia: The Couturier
Until 7 October
Design Museum, 224 - 238 Kensington High Street, London, W8 6AG
Celebrate ‘couture’s rebellious outsider’ in the first UK solo exhibition of his work. Conceived and co-curated with Alaia before his death in November 2017, the exhibition charts his incredible journey from sculptor to couturier, his nonconformist nature and his infectious energy for fashion.