The Business of Fashion

Prince and Matthew Williamson: The video is finally here

During London Fashion Week, one of the unquestionable highlights was Prince's surprise performance on the Matthew Williamson catwalk. I have never seen the normally subdued and restrained fashionista crowd whoop and holler like they did when the diminutive dynamo stepped onto the catwalk from the front row.  It was definitely a sight to be seen.

And, despite the apparent smoothness of the whole collaboration, the deal was only done the night before the show. Prince made the request and Williamson told reporters that when Prince makes a request, you don't say no.

The most frustrating thing was that no video footage of Prince's performance was available afterwards. All of the photographers and videographers had signed waivers on arrival, preventing them from broadcasting the show in any form. The inside scoop was that Prince was planning to use the footage for his latest video, Chelsea Rodgers . And now, at long last, we have the video for you here.   

London Fashion Week: The creativity and commerce conundrum

As I looked out on the waiting crowd for Giles Deacon's show last evening, there was something special in the air. Where else could you see wunderkind Gareth Pugh nestled next to Italian eccentric Anna Piaggi and Vogue's Hamish Bowles and a raft of other notable fashion names, all crammed into a tiny space in a small schoolhouse waiting for a fashion show to start? No New York designer of similar repute would even think of forcing the fashion A-list into this cramped setting. But then again, the fashion A-list probably wouldn't even bother turning up to a show in a similarly  uncomfortable setting for a New York designer.

London fashion is officially hot again.  And, this time it's not just hype. Many of the New York collections were well-executed and wearable, but they were limited in terms of new ideas and came off feeling a bit flat. London has thrown this flatness into sharp relief. There has been a renewed sense of confidence about fashion in London this week, yet there could be a lot more reflection on why things haven't worked out for London in the past after other short-lived periods of creative renaissance -- and a great deal of this has to do with the business of fashion, not the creative side.