FASHION HISTORY:London's reputation as a fashion capital is explored in a new book by
ROBERT O'BYRNE
London Fashion Week celebrates its 25th anniversary this month with the move to its new venue in Somerset House. The anniversary also marks the return of many native designers such as Matthew Williamson and Antonio Berardi to London, flushed out from the more lucrative capitals of New York and Paris. At a time when fashion is in flux, the event has been described as a counter-intuitive coup, copper-fastening Britain’s image as a hotbed of young talent.
Robert O Byrne's Style City: How London Became A Fashion Capitalis an exhaustive account of the development of the city's fashion industry from the early 1970s to the present day. Conditioned by post-war austerity and parsimony, the British public demanded cheap clothes, but the so called youthquake of the 1960s, followed by the radical punk movement, challenged traditional images of UK fashion.
O’Byrne points out that fashion only became a degree course at the RCA in 1969, later granted to other colleges in 1972, fostering a new generation of designers with innovative ideas creating a deep rift between them and manufacturers rooted in the old ways.
The outstanding trend of British fashion in the 1980s, he points out, was its preoccupation with youth and novelty. The financial assistance of the Thatcher government led to the foundation of the British Fashion Council and the establishment of the British Designer Show in March 1984. Other factors such as The Clothes Show on television, the first of its kind in Europe, and the instigation of the annual Fashion Awards advanced fashion into mainstream culture.
The global success of Paul Smith, for example, and the defection of leading names to Paris and New York, at the same time as the invasion of British journalists and editors into the US fashion media, all highlighted changing power bases. O’Byrne cites many reports on the state of the industry, noting that London began to sell itself successfully as a brand as waves of talent from diverse ethnic backgrounds broke into the market place, making names abroad rather than at home. The promotion of designers on the high street, the revamping of old time UK companies such as Burberry and the transformation of TopShop into an international success story, all contributed to the creation of an image of “British cool”. Financial sponsorship for young talent is now firmly established.
This is a painstakingly researched book with engaging first-hand interviews with designers such as Paul Smith, Jasper Conran and Betty Jackson, lavishly illustrated with 200 photographs. Though US attitudes are cited, there is surprisingly little reference to any view of UK fashion from France, for example, nor any reference to the effect of Kate Moss’s international success on the image of UK fashion. The book would have benefited from an overview, but for anyone interested in the history of London’s present status as a style city, it is a worthwhile read.
Style City: How London Became A Fashion Capital,by Robert O'Byrne, is published by Francis Lincoln (£35). London Fashion week runs from September 18th-22nd, with daily reports from Deirdre McQuillan in The Irish Times