British Designers Come Home to LFW

For the past few seasons we’ve seen a rush of established British designers come back to London to celebrate the home turf’s rising fashion week status. Most notably absent from the list of supporters were homegrown talent Stella McCartney and royal wedding designer Sarah Burton – until now. 

Seeing as McCartney is the Creative Director for the adidas Team GB kit for the Olympics next year, it’s no surprise that she’s decided to throw a little support to her homeland. Now before London’s stylish denizens pop the bottles and declare the return of one of Britain’s most revered designers, this is only a one off. The designer will still show her main collection in Paris but on the evening of February 18, she’ll present a special collection that will be available for purchase online and from select stockists. While we’re grateful that the collection won’t be Olympic themed, we can bet that McCartney’s brand will be participating in the jam-packed calendar of Olympic themed events being touted by the British Fashion Council.

She may not be coming back for good but she’ll be making good use of the limelight whilst she’s back. On January 26, Selfridges will launch “World of Stella” in its Oxford Street store, which will not only showcase the designer’s coveted ready-to-wear, kids, sportswear, and accessories collections but also mark the launch of a new fragrance.

While the Alexander McQueen proper label is staying in Paris, the house's diffusion line McQ will show for the first time at LFW to coincide with the opening of the label's debut store on Dover Street. While it's understandable that Burton is keeping the main collection in Paris, it makes perfect sense to show McQ in London as the collection is much younger and infinitely more affordable. With the drama surrounding Milan’s scheduling standoff almost pacified, it’s nice to see a designer of this caliber standing behind London despite all of the scheduling changes. 

Photo: IMAXtree