Support for British Designers

London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week is the major showcase event in the fashion industry calendar. It is held twice a year – February and September and is organised by the British Fashion Council. The event comprises catwalk presentations and a designers exhibition. Both are home to many established designer names in the UK fashion industry and it is also recognised as a platform for launching new talent.

For details on designer participation, show dates and times, and to obtain tickets log on to the London Fashion Week website or contact The British Fashion Council:

Simon Ward
British Fashion Council
5 Portland Place
London W1B 1PW
Tel: 020 7636 7788
Fax: 020 7636 7515

Website: www.londonfashionweek.co.uk

The Designer Manufacturing Handbook

The "Designer Manufacturing Handbook" provides a practical step-by-step guide to help designers increase their knowledge of production so that their creative vision and ideas can be translated into real product and ultimately, into sustained business success. It contains a useful directory of UK manufacturers able and willing to work with designers’ smaller scale and fluctuating needs and includes a series of case studies based on partnerships established through the project.

As well as giving practical advice, the Handbook will help to promote a better mutual understanding between designers and manufacturers to the commercial benefit of both.

A Study Of The UK Designer Fashion Sector

The Designer Fashion Sector Study was commissioned by the DTI and the British Fashion Council (BFC) in 2002, to act as a basis for further joint work aimed at enhancing the success of the fashion design sector and injecting more design talent into UK clothing and textile companies.

The Study's four objectives were to investigate the impact of the designer fashion industry on the wider textiles and clothing industry; to analyse the business support needs of the designers; to map the available support and to map current gaps in provision.

A Study of the UK Designer Fashion Sector:
Findings and Recommendations (399 Kb)

Appendices of A Study of the UK Designer Fashion Sector

There are several organisations providing support and advice to the designer fashion sector including:

Robin Bramble 
London Development Agency
Devon House
58-60 St Katharines Way
London E1W 1JX
Tel: 020 7954 4698
Web: www.lda.gov.uk
Email: robinbramble@lda.gov.uk

British Apparel and Textile Confederation 
Tel: 020 7636 7788
Email: batc@dial.pipex.com

British Clothing Industry Association
Tel: 020 7636 7788
Email: bcia@dial.pipex.com

Business Links
Tel: 0845 600 9006
Web: www.businesslink.gov.uk

UK Fashion Exports
Tel: 020 7636 5577
Email: info@ukfashionexports.com

Designer Forum
Tel: 0115 911 5339
Email: clydie@uphanger.co.uk

Cutting Edge
Tel: 020 7010 1234 / 1473
Email: dzarif@b14london.com
Contact: Devrim Zarif, Business Liaison Executive
Address: 
Cutting Edge - Clothing Sector Project
Link House, 292 - 308 Southbury Road, 
Enfield EN1 1TS
Tel: 0207 010 1473
Mob: 07779 717 194
Fax: 0208 493 8845

Fashion Works
Tel: 020 7704 9747
Email: doreen@fashionworks.org.uk