Where does the time go…another week has zipped by. Profile is now our number one priority and everything (surprisingly) is going to plan and under control. We had an excellent screening day where the panel reviewed the designers shortlisted. Applications were high this season and actually the standard was even higher than expected in terms of both quality and design. Consequently not everyone who has applied has been allocated an exhibition stand. Please remember, that help is at hand via the LFF to mentor and support each and every designer that has applied – regardless of whether their application was successful.

Congratulations to a cross section of designers that have been selected so far.

Womenswear  – Bonbon Cadeau Ltd trading as Britta Boyer  and Butik   Bowho – Catharina Eden Ltd – Clairey by Design – Cojac – Craven Gene/Craven Gene Limited – Elinor Franklin – FEMINI/DESIGNED LTD -Frocked de la Valliere Ltd – Haunt – Kalika’s Armour by Jatin Patel – Karen Barney – Kittens Couture – Melanka & Me – Mellisa Helyer Ltd – Mirelli Ltd  – Romeo Pires – Rufus  – Tanya Dove – Truly Sopel  – Two B  

Menswear – British Eccentric/Pattern Power Limited – Damien Gen – Emmy kathy Collins  – Field – Invisible Inc  – Isis Cashmere  – Mami London  -Stereotype – TSEEKO  – Two B

Accessories – Cheet – CJ Poupazis – Heba Nouman  – Jewellery/Babaliciou – Jewellery – Kimchiuk – Natalia Rocchi  – Rebel Dogg  

If you believe that your collection is ready to be showcased at Profile on 12th and 13th February at Tobacco Dock and, you want to preview your collection to a database of over 15,000 press, buyers and stylist, then please contact Tracy Robinson on 020 8462 1475. There are two remaining places! It could be YOU!

A very big welcome to our new journalist Amanda Conner from USA! She will be working with us over the next four months bringing news and views from a wide cross section of fashion angles. Her first article will go live on Thursday.

Also a big welcome to Joanna Wala a Canadian designer who will shortly be going live on the FashionCapital boutique with her collection SOFISS. Best of luck.

Sofiss

Can you believe that Dickins and Jones have closed down; one of the oldest department stores in the country last week? I am still in a state of shock. How sad that such an iconic store has had to close and now be regarded as an old fashioned concept. The store originally traded as Dickins, Smith and Stevens when it moved to Regent Street in 1835 selling drapery. The owner of Dickins and Jones was House of Fraser and they said it had to go when the rates went up from around £250,000 in 2003 to £4.5 million a year!  Unbelievable increase – we had a similar situation with Bluewater!! It’s just another nail in the coffin for the high street and more evidence of Clone Britain and Store Bores. 

When such retail giants close it yet adds more evidence to the growing strength of online sales. Online shopping is far from being a new phenomenon with Amazon, lastminute.com and eBay being familiar names but the public are using the web more and more and confidence throughout the user network is growing. In 1996 just 0.07% of retail spending of £120m was via online. Yet within the last five years there has been a 20 fold increase to 1.4%. In 2005 we spent £7.8billion (3% of our cash via computers) and this is not for banking insurance, travel or high street services but products! 

This is exactly why designers need to take the opportunity of opening up a free online boutique on www.fashioncapital.co.uk complete with free home page banner advert too. If you want to find out more about this amazing free offer and get your online business rolling then please call Vanessa Camelia on 020 8462 1475. As Joanna Wala said from Canada “I went through your instructions and uploaded everything as specified. The boutique preview worked beautifully. Thank you”. It’s quick and easy to do and you can upload up to 32 images on the boutique and change the products whenever you need to.

Don’t forget to register for Profile (trade only) on 12th and 13th February at Tobacco Dock, Pennigton Street, London E1. Click here to register for Profile

Until next week.

Jenny Holloway

Industry Advisor