It was quite a whirlwind weekend at London Fashion Week for Team Liberty, as we hot footed around town to see the latest offerings from the capital’s finest. From Jonathan Saunders sunset show with views over London from the 19th floor to Teatum Jones‘ intimate film presentation in our very own Heritage Suite, we’ve been on the look out for next season’s hottest trends and must-have pieces. Make sure you follow us on Twitter for live updates from the front row – here’s what’s got us excited so far…
Polly Wilkinson is one half of London design duo Draw In Light, who were discovered at the Liberty Best of British Design Open Call. Polly, together with Harriet Barford, makes beautifully hand printed pieces which are available online and in store now. Polly kept a diary of her day as they presented at London Fashion Week, in a unique set-up where artists took part a live life drawing class whilst modelling the Draw In Light Autumn Winter 2012 collection…
2:00am
My day starts. Going through what we need for the show in my head, making sure we remembered everything! I try to get some more sleep.
4:30am
Jump into the shower, do my make-up and get dressed into a white shirt, black cashmere jumper, silk jacquard trousers and Dries Van Noten perspex heel boots. Feeling anxious about the show.
6:00
My car arrives. In it already is Brian Doherty, our set photographer. We drive on to pick up Harry, dressed in a beautiful red paint Draw In Light dress with creeper boots, and head into Fashion central.
7:00
The set is ready from the day before; hair and make-up prepare their stations. The models, life models and art teacher arrive. The hair team is headed up by Yumi who has just got back from shows in New York.
7:30
Harriet has her fringe cut by Yumi whist I get a blow dry. Models are made to look like English schoolgirls, fresh faced and natural with a British side-parting and slight scruff… We have cast a mix of real Central Saint Martins students and models from Premiere.
8:30
Girls are dressed in Draw In Light’s AW12 collection “Take Heart”
9:00
Our Life Drawing Teacher talks the girls through the class.
9:30
Our three beautiful nudes arrive on set. Ffion – Saint Martins student and life model, Kim – life model and 55-year-old novis and life model Inderjeet Lee, who stole the show with her slender limbs.
9:45
Debussy’s notes filter through the air. Scented candles fill the room, huge plumes of white flowers are displayed in the fire hearths. The sun shines though the leaded glass windows of 2 Temple Place, onto polished wooden floors and our fresh-faced class.
10:00
A last scuffle as we get the final things in place. Running only a few minutes late…
10:10
Press, buyers, family and friends enter into the class, including Norman, Harriet’s 91-year-old grandfather. It is an intimate affair: my two sisters, Phoebe and Hermione, model and draw in the class.
10:30
The class is in full swing and the teacher is directing the girls and life models in practice and poses.
11:00 Caroline Issa arrives along with Susie Bubble and sister Louisa Lau – dressed in Draw In Light. Max from Art Wednesday pops in and tells us while tweeting what an innovative idea he thinks this is.
11:30
The room has a great atmosphere and mix of people looking at the live class, sketches and drawings that have been produced.
11:45
The class is told to finish off their drawings, which by now have got a beautiful flow to them.
12:00
Our Nudes are applauded for the uninhibited generousity they showed to bare all in the name of fashion and art.
12:05
North6 production have whisked us out of the room, our set is cleared and we are back in the green room to pack up our kit and change the girls.
We only found out about our presentation at LFW last Monday so it is an incredible feat… Our team have been dedicated and hard working over the last five days to get the show ready.
The result of all that effort was a flurry of interest in Draw In Light, the support from Caroline Issa, Yasmin Swell, Susie Bubble, Kyle Robinson and Paper Mache Tiger (our agent) along with Tamsin Blanchard from the Telegraph was integral to its success. Relative|Mo played the biggest part of all our supporters for offering us the opportunity to express ourselves as Draw In Light. Harry and I are now sitting in our local pub in Hackney eating pizza, drinking wine with our wonderful team, feeling humbled, proud and happy. Thank you especially to Liberty London for being Draw In Light’s first stockist and believing in us. We hold you in the highest esteem.
We couldn’t be more excited to see what London’s fashion finest have in store for us, from Liberty favourite Jonathan Saunders who was recently awarded the BFC/Vogue Fashion Fund to our Best of British discovery Draw In Light, who’ll be guest blogging from Somerset House.
As a special treat we’ll also be live streaming the shows all week from the BFC tents, so whether you’re taking a quick coffee break in the office or lounging on the sofa you can feel like you’re seated front row. We’ve had ours on all day and it’s fast become an office addiction – fun because you can gasp and hyperventilate all you like without being tut-tuted by an annoyed neighbour.
Last night we also launched our exclusive B Store temporary space, a special installation on our 2nd floor housing their gorgeous Liberty print men’s and women’s clothing, shoes and accessories.
London Fashion Week kicks off this Friday and we’ve already unveiled our dazzling new window display; a homage to great British design talent. The fashion stars are shining bright on Great Marlborough Street; from Jonathan Saunders‘ demure sherbet pastels to Christopher Kane‘s neon brights, Peter Pilotto‘s vibrant prints, Stella McCartney‘s tropical celebration and Michael Van Der Ham‘s jigsaw collage.
Last night we launched Kinky Knickers: a new brand of handmade lace undies by retail consultant Mary Portas. Each pair is made entirely in Britain, from the finest lace produced in Middleton, Greater Manchester. A group of apprentices chosen by Mary were specially trained in traditional lace making techniques, and the knickers are a culmination of all their hard work:
“This is absolute madness – our knickers are outshining us! We’ve fallen out and rowed loads but now we’re all together and the hard work has paid off. I was unemployed before this – I’d broken my leg and been out of work for 18 months. I kept asking myself why the old mills and factories weren’t reopened, I felt passionate about this cause even before I got involved in the project. Each of the seven of us has a different job, so each pair is a joint effort. If we didn’t work as a team it wouldn’t work, and there’s still lots more to do! We’re working on another 1000 for Liberty at the moment.” Les, a Kinky Knickers apprentice.
The hope is that this exciting collection will shine a light back on British manufacturing, and you can support the cause by wearing your Kinky Knickers with pride! Designed to be comfortable, sexy and VPL free, each pair comes with a hidden message in the gusset encouraging wearers to ‘Love Your Country!’
The range is available exclusively at Liberty and was unveiled last night with a live window display and cocktail party complete with vintage pin-up girls showing off the range of colours available which range from a more subtle ivory to a striking neon pink with orange trim.
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