The Business of Fashion

London Fashion Week | The Osman touch

Osman Yousefzada is one London designer who has shown a knack for building his business without an active investor on board. Not only is he consulting for a high profile British luxury chain, he is collaborating with Mango to release a capsule collection of little black dresses which will hit Mango stores worldwide in March, after an exclusive selling period at Selfridges in London. These projects help Osman by injecting cash to finance production and operating costs for the business.

Mango also hosted Osman's show today in its Oxford Street flagship, causing quite a stir as regular shoppers mixed in with London's fashion flock. The choice of location works for both parties because Osman gets free space and solid evidence of his partnership with Mango, while Osman brings new people into the store and ups its Mango's fashion cred. Perhaps it does not have the quirky ambiance of a schoolhouse in Shoreditch or a tunnel in the South Bank, but it does the trick anyway, and the long catwalk allowed many of the buyers and press to see the clothes up close.

Sample Sales: A method to the madness

The end of fashion week/market week/selling season for A/W 2007 can only mean one thing:  private sales from emerging fashion designers from London, Paris and New York.

Malini Murjani, the New York based handbag designer known for her exotic skins and ethnic chic,  is holding a private trunk show next week for her exclusive private client list. Check out her website. It is hot.

Afshin Feiz recently held a trunk show in London. As of next season, Afshin, who is based in Paris and has been showing in New York up until now, will have his London debut, joining the ranks of many upcoming designers who see London as a potential launchpad.

Osman Yousefzada, is one such designer. He has been showing London for several seasons now has a new shared space with Jenne O, known for her sexy shoes, on Québec St, just north of Oxford Street in Central London. Osman and Jenne will be hosting a gallery opening later this month, and will also take the opportunity to have a sample sale.

This is not only a good way to gain additional revenues. It is also one way that many emerging designers help to fund their production needs. By providing a lucky few with the ability to order next season's collections in advance at wholesale prices or by selling samples from previous seasons, designers can use the money to pay their suppliers for their production needs. This helps to cover the production costs of some of the orders from department stores and major boutiques who are often reluctant to put down a deposit (sometimes because they fear they will never see the orders, sometimes because they just have so much power over these small companies that they can do whatever they want).

Ogling Osman, London Fashion Week

Osman Yousefzada's A/W Collection bowed this evening in Selfridge's 7th floor car park. For one thing, that must have made it easier for his sponsor, Saab, to get their sleek cars into the venue for the eyes of ogling fashionistas. A lot easier, say, than a 7th floor art gallery or church or museum.

Somehow, the edgy venue and refined collection came together very well in a sort of  modern elegance, best exemplified by a hooded-dress that looked stunning from behind. There were also Lily Cole's legs in a short sea grey skirt with ruffly pleats. A stream a immacuately cut dresses and trousers followed, each with hints of embellishment (okay, sometimes they were more than hints) and draping. While still a commercial collection you could imagine in the boutiques , it was a stronger statement of Osman's signature than the last collection, which lacked the maturity that the new collection demonstrated. Some of the skin-tight mini dresses didnt work as well, though they were well-executed.

Selfridge's are actively supporting Osman, having provided him with a coveted Oxford street window during Fashion Week, provided the venue for his show, and securing exclusivityfor Osman's collection in London. It is great to see the industry get behind a designer and support him. It benefits both parties - so everybody wins.