Bridge Over Troubled Water

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Tori Herbert speaks to doll, the pioneers behind On | Off, the London Fashion Week initiative that aims to build bridges within a fragmented industry.

Fashion Week anywhere, once it’s over, gets amassed into a hazy memory of late nights, early starts and too-much-hanging-around fatigue. However, one thing in particular struck about London Fashion Week September 2004, and that was the addition of a new venue, The Royal Academy of Arts, 6 Burlington Gardens.

Playing host to On | Off, a platform that allows both On and Off schedule designers to show their work side by side, The Royal Academy not only proved a joyously accessible location – its prestige and stature were a refreshing change from the often covert venue choices of London’s rising designers – but it had the subtle yet profound effect of narrowing the gap between fashion fledglings and heavyweights.

 As freelance journalist Fleur Britten puts it, On | Off represents an exciting new area that bridges London’s Next Big thing with the Establishment. And it is this, arm out to the establishment gesture, that is perhaps the most curious about the On | Off initiative.

“A lot of fuss is made about the state of British fashion,” says Lee Lapthorne, Creative Director of doll, the mastermind agency behind On | Off, “We have conducted extensive research into what London needs to recapture international attention and at the end of the day it is all about support; support for designers, buyers and press alike. It is about working with everyone out there, not creating further divisions.”

Designers applying to show through On | Off are put before a scrupulous selection panel made up of industry experts who assess not only the creative excellence of each designer applying, but also their production capabilities and the professionalism of their business outlook. Dry and fastidious this may seem, but so often new designers are given false hope by an insatiable media who hype them as the next createur extraordinaire, before they have had the time or experience to build a functional business.

Toby Meadows, PR and spokesperson for the British design duo, Belle and Bunty, is quick to support this point,

“Creating your first sample collection is the easy part, finding production facilities and making buyers aware of your label and convincing them that you can produce quality garments is much tougher and where most new labels fall down.”

Belle and Bunty aka Hannah Conium and Alice-Louise Shreeve  launched a stunning debut collection, Go Wild, via the very first On | Off event at The Imperial War Museum in September 2003. Not only have they remained loyal to the initiative ever since, but are testament to the integrity of its efforts towards supporting new designers,

“On | Off allows us to present our new collection each season affordably (something imperative to a young design label) in a central London location,” says Meadows. “The doll team behind the event have worked with us in every aspect of the marketing of our label from sponsorship, to business advice, show production, styling and promotion. Their support and guidance has allowed us to come a long way in a very short period of time.”

Andrew Leahy of Cube PR was similarly pleased with the service provided by On | Off, particularly in reference to the Off schedule designers showing, “On | Off and the Royal Academy were really good particularly for the Off schedule; lots of journalists found it really helpful to have a central location and from a PR point of view it was a relief to have a good team on hand.”

So is On | Off, despite the equilibrium implied by its name, really more about Off schedule designers?

John Wilson, Chief Executive of The British Fashion Council, is categorical in his support for the initiative, but as far as On schedule designers are concerned, believes it is more about choice of venue. “To be frank, it is up to the designers; they choose a venue because they like it and very often their decision to show away from the BFC site is to do with individuality – they like to create their own environment. In this way,” he continues, “On | Off is perhaps more positive towards new designers as it allows them to show together (at lesser cost and hassle) in a central forum where the likelihood of press and buyer attendance is greatly increased.”

Here we are again, back at that commercial crux, however, no matter how creatively brilliant a designer, without press and buyers, he or she ceases to exist. Fact. “I think designers have to be encouraged to stay here,” says Daily Telegraph journalist, Clare Coulson, “Although, it’s a catch 22 situation – as soon as the designers disappear, so do the press and buyers. Initiatives such as On | Off are really important,” continues Clare, “It’s often where the interesting ideas are during London Fashion Week and we all want to see new designers, find new stories and support up and coming talent.”

On | Off has its head and heart in the right place: it is offering support and more eminently, choice, to whoever wants it, no matter where they sit on a scale of cutting edge to commercial.

“Choice” – the basis of John Wilson of the British Fashion Council’s premise – most certainly stems beyond catwalk locality when it comes to British fashion. London Fashion Week and indeed the very essence of British style, is about quirks and idiosyncrasies; the co-existence of the established with the new; the traditional with the non-conformist; the only certainty being uncertainty. Paradoxical these things are, but they just may be what will keep London fashionably fresh.