Agi & Sam SS14
London Fashion Week starts today and with that there will be a influx of new trends to keep a watchful eye on and designers to make sure that we know the name of.
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) fashion expert, Barbara Wilson, gives her predictions for some of the future British based designers destined for international exporting growth.
These designers have strong creative talent and are also developing their business and marketing skills.
Barbara says: “The UK is a hub of the creative industries. Our world class art and fashion colleges draw the best talent from around the world and many of the most talented designers stay to set up their own businesses here. This creates a pool of talent which is fairly unique. British fashion designers are highly creative and innovative with design, technology and new fabrics.”
As an international business specialist, Barbara works with UKTI to support the whole of the UK clothing and footwear industry by highlighting opportunities for the sector overseas.
Fashion directly contributes nearly £21 billion to the UK economy (1.7 per cent of total GDP) and 70% of British based designer turnover comes from overseas sales.
DESIGNERS TO WATCH:
Christopher Raeburn: Producing garments in England, Christopher’s notorious re-appropriated military fabrics are sourced from all over Europe. Meticulous detail, considered functionality and sustainable intelligence, Christopher’s loyal customers in menswear and womenswear are hit the Far East, especially in Japan, China, Korea and the Philippines.
Agi & Sam: Contemporary print based menswear and womenswear by Agape Mdumulla and Sam Cotton. This innovative duo met while interning at Alexander McQueen, under the helm of the Lee McQueen. Design leaders in menswear, their collections appeared at the London Collections: Men, and will feature at the London ShowRooms in Paris with the British Fashion Council.
J S Lee: Very much en vogue this season, Korean born Jackie JS LEE’s tailoring centres around sleek and chic androgynous pieces. Her consistently minimalist collection is a hit with women in as diverse regions as Thailand, Russia and Dubai.
Lucas Nascimento: London College of Fashion-trained Lucas Nascimento specialises in beautiful creative knitwear and leather for women. His recognisable knitwear look is notoriously bold – experimenting with fabric technology, graphic prints and sculptural shapes that resonate well with the progressive fashion conscious.
Matthew Miller: Hailing from Stoke-on-Trent, Matthew studied at the Royal College of Art.His signature style is formed from an investigation into the technological versus the traditional; performance fabrics, tailoring and sportswear.
Astrid Andersen: This Danish born designer creates luxury sportswear style for men. Her clashing proportions and silhouettes disregard traditional masculine concepts and are hyped with feminine overtones. She is a true innovator, with a global following for her genre leading approach to premium sportswear.
Nasir Mazhar: Milliner by trade, this East London native started his career as an apprentice of Vidal Sasson and trained under Jane Smith. With a healthy dose of multicultural Turkish-Cypriot heritage to spice up his urban-casual aesthetic, this fashion designer is best known for his inventive approaches to sports caps and headwear.
Marques Almeida: Marques Aalmeida is the London based womenswear label created by Marta Marques and Paulo Almeida. Both from Portugal, this duo have found a special niche working on ladies denim. Their collections subscribe to the Helmut Lang school of thought, where ‘fashion is about attitude, not hemlines’. They create for a market that desires sartorial instincts with an authentic edge and potential beyond denim.
Shaun Samson: This California-born British-trained menswear designer is now part of the NEWGEN showing in London during London Collection. Shaun has created a luxury menswear collection with a rather “west coast” influence, which he builds he on through his love for his American heritage.
Sibling: Adored by fashion savvy types from Japan, Singapore, and South Korea, Sid Bryan, Joe Bates and Cozette McCreery come from Yorkshire, Leicester and London respectively. Oozing a sense of a fun and mischievousness in their punk, pop art bold graphic aesthetic, they mutate classic, traditional knitwear designs for men and women looking to make astatement.
According to Barbara Wilson, Fashion Sector Specialist at UKTI, British designers are increasingly expanding their export sales to the Far East, UAE states, and emerging markets, as well as with traditional trading countries such as the United States.
“It is fairly common that a designer will have 70% of their turnover coming from overseas sales alone. These designers have all found a niche product and markets, and have proved that they can produce consistent collections with the right combination of core products, bestsellers and seasonal innovation.
A key factor in a designer’s success abroad is exhibiting at overseas tradeshows. Without funding, guidance and support to the local market, British designers can struggle,” says Barbara.
As well as being a major sponsor for London Fashion Week, UKTI supports designers who wish to exhibit at international trade fairs overseas. This is an effective way for designers to test markets, attract customers, appoint agents or distributors and make sales. Designers can apply for funding to attend international trade shows through support from UKTI’s Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP).
Together with UKTI “Exporting is GREAT” campaign, Barbara’s is committed to continue to boosting economic links between new markets to help to drive trade for UK companies. Her next trade trip to South Korea will take place between 31 March to 4 April 2014. On this mission, Barbara and UK designers will be given insight into the Korean market and take part in a showcase which will be attended by over 100 fashion industry insiders, including buyers and agent/distributers.
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