Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and Scottish Government Team Up to Support £2 Billion Scottish Fashion Industry at London Fashion Week

Eight of Glasgow’s emerging young fashion designers will showcase their talent at London Fashion Week (LFW) in September 07 under the umbrella of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective.

 

This will be the initiative’s third season at LFW and the designers are all either from the Metropolitan Glasgow area, have trained here, or have chosen to be based in the city.

 

Members of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective will feature at catwalk shows as well as within The Exhibition at London Fashion Week, which plays host to over 210 top British and International ready-to-wear and accessory designers, from the edgy and cool to the contemporary and commercial.

 

Joining existing Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective members Christopher Kane, Brazen and Olanic at LFW this season are: Aimee McWilliams, Deryck Walker, Jamie Bruski Tetsill, Scott Ramsay Kyle and Vidler & Nixon.

 

The initiative forms part of the city’s strategic repositioning, which has been underway since the launch of the Glasgow: Scotland with style brand in March 2004, using a wide range of ‘products’ including: fashion, design, art, architecture, events, food, film, music, sport and the performing arts to profile the city’s creativity.

 

As the principal sponsor of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective, GCMB has committed in excess of £40k towards the London Fashion Week initiative, which will encompass designer support and pre-publicity – all of which should help attract the attention of the UK and international press and buyers.

 

Such is the project’s potential commercial impact that GCMB has received a contribution of £30k from the Scottish Government towards the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective’s appearance at LFW in September.  The textiles sector alone is hugely important to Scotland’s economy and international standing, the industry employs about 38,000 people and generates more than £2 billion annually.  The Scottish Government acknowledge that by supporting the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective and new Scottish designers, the textile industry can only grow from strength to strength.

 

Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture Linda Fabiani said: "This is a great opportunity for eight of our brightest young fashion designers to showcase their talent on a global stage. 

 

“Scotland has a world famous textiles industry and thriving further and higher education Art and Design facilities - it’s exciting to see this new generation keeping Glasgow and Scotland firmly on the fashion map"

 

Scott Taylor, Chief Executive – Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, added:  "We are very aware of how difficult it can be for emerging designers to secure the necessary support to enable them to showcase their work on the international stage.

 

"What the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective does is to provide a high profile platform for these young designers, which not only raises awareness of their creativity to style setters, fashion buyers and media attending London Fashion Week but also converts into actual sales and press coverage of their work.

 

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Scottish Government at London Fashion Week this September and relish the opportunity.”

 

"Glasgow is a vibrant and highly creative city and it's important that both commercial and creative institutions recognise this by getting behind designers like Christopher Kane and the others being supported by the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective”, said Simon Ward, Head of Operations at the British Fashion Council"

 

So far the Glasgow: Scotland with style® Design Collective has:

 

The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau will co-host a Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective reception for media and key influencers at LFW on Monday 17, September in The Catwalk Tent on the West Lawn of the Natural History Museum.

 

In February 2007 London Fashion Week celebrated its largest ever attendance of UK buyers, international press, photographers and broadcast crews. It also achieved editorial media coverage worth £24 million and orders worth £40 million. 

 

A bespoke microsite for the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective can be accessed at: www.seeglasgow.com/design  

 

 

ENDS                                                                                                                                 August 2007 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.       Digital images of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective can be obtained from Chris Hunt at: e-mail: chris@genuinepr.com 

 

2.    The 2007 Glasgow-based advisory panel comprises: Eva Arrighi, Fashion Editor – Sunday Herald Magazine; Jimmy Stephen-Cran, Head of Textiles – School of Design, the Glasgow School of Art; Paul Simmons, Alistair McAuley - Timorous Beasties; Moira Dyer, Senior Manager – Public Relations, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau and Judy Torrance, Head of International Marketing, International Projects Division – Scottish Government.

 

3.    Glasgow: Scotland with style was launched in March 2004 and has a budget of £4.4 million.  The project has secured £2 million from Glasgow City Council and £1.8 million from the European Regional Development Fund through the 2000 - 2006 Western Scotland Objective 2 Programme.  The campaign includes advertising, public relations, sponsorship and web activity. 
 

4.   London Fashion Week takes place from 15-20 September in ‘The Tents’ at the Natural History Museum.  OnIOff is at the Royal Academy of Arts from 17-20 September.