London Fashion Week is upon us once more and ‘tis the season to be jolly for every fashionista heading down to the Natural History Museum and other hot venues around the capital. But what’s it all about and how can you get a piece of the action? Well Lusso is here to give you the low down on whose who, the ones to watch and how to get your hands on some designer bargains at the end of a fashion packed week.

London Fashion Week is owned and organised by the British Fashion Council, set up in 1986 to promote British fashion with designer fashion in mind. The biannual showcase for British based designers includes the world-renowned New Generation sponsorship scheme that supports new design talent. Some of our biggest international stars in fashion were launched through the scheme including Alexander McQueen, Antonio Berardi, Clements Riberio, Julian Macdonald, Matthew Williamson and Sophia Kokosalaki. The British Fashion Council is non-profit making and sponsorship comes from companies such as the Arcadia Group, Conde Nast Publications and Debenhams with Topshop sponsoring New Generation for the last twelve seasons.

The range of designers that show at London Fashion Week is diverse with iconic designers such as Paul Smith, Betty Jackson and Jasper Conran presenting collections alongside bright new fashion stars like Bodyamr, Giles Deacon and Preen. To give you just a taste of what’s on offer, feast your eyes on the following pages and devour at leisure.

BODYAMR

Luxurious silk jersey is draped like a dream under the direction of Amr Ali as he mixes the influences of his Middle Eastern roots with his international upbringing in London and New York. Although originally trained in interior design it was his Swarovski customised t-shirts worn to parties by Nicky Haslam that set Amr on his career path in fashion. The Bodyamr ‘Collective’ was founded as a private order label and widely commissioned within the music industry and internationally for red carpet events and evening wear before Amr launched his first collection at London Fashion Week in 2005. Bodyamr’s ultra glamorous autumn/winter 06 collection was inspired by Hannah Hooch; a 1920’s Berlin artist who founded photo-montage art and was a member of the DaDA movement. Amr’s signature draping comes in a palette that ranges from black, navy and wine to dusky pink, silver and gold. Stunning deep v-necks with strategically placed gathers add sublime curves to even the slenderest woman. Sexy ruche dresses are cut to reveal the arch of the back and wide sparkling belts set off the look that is sure to be adorned by many hot stars in the dazzling limelight.

HOT TICKET

Fashion birdies will be flapping their wings to bag a ticket to the guest showing of the Emporio Armani collection. The unique fashion music event also celebrates the launch of the Emporio Armani RED capsule collection to benefit the Global Fund. Giorgio Armani hopes to create further momentum for the global initiative that engages the private sector in the fight against AIDS in Africa by channelling a percentage of profit from the sale of RED products directly to the fund that also fights Tuberculosis and Malaria. Current partners of the initiative launched by Bono and Bobby Shriver are American Express, Converse, Gap, Motorola and Giorgio Armani. Forty percent of the gross profit margin from all sales of the Emporio Armani RED collection including clothing, accessories, eyewear, watches, jewellery and fragrances will go directly to the Global Fund. For more information go to www.joinred.com

ASHISH

Glittering sequins drift through the mind as thoughts turn to Ashish and his signature sparkling pieces. Delhi born designer Ashish Gupta graduated from Central St.Martins with an MA in 2000 and went on to launch his fashion career a year later earning the New Generation designer award three times over. His sparkly sports casuals caught the eye of Madonna who commissioned him to produce sequin jackets for her ‘Confessions’ world tour and high profile events such as the Grammies. His womenswear line, a favourite among celebrities such as Elizabeth Jagger and Keira Knightly, was complemented last summer with a successful capsule collection for men.
This season Ashish was heavily influenced by Hitchcock’s late 1950’s sombre mood for his autumn/winter collection. Zipped biker jackets are teamed with loose flannel trousers for the boys while the ladies are worn with full, embellished prom skirts for a fun and flirty look. In contrast tweeds complement a more streamlined silhouette but still dazzle with eye-catching gold threads and sequins. Sportswear shapes rein supreme of course and while the men can choose between quirky takes on the tracksuit they can also catch a twinkle in the ladies eyes with a slinky sequinned vest.

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