LONDON FASHION WEEK: London Fashion Week launched into its second day with a busy catwalk schedule, but there were noticeably fewer international buyers and press in attendance yesterday, despite the organisers' optimistic predictions.
Irish buyers yesterday complained that the exhibition at the Natural History Museum "was now just an accessories show", apart from the "new generation" section. Nikki Creedon of Dublin boutique Havana said: "As a buyer, London doesn't mean a lot now. Maybe the clothes have more appeal to younger boutiques, but the prices are exorbitant and bad value for money. I go with an open mind but, no, it doesn't work for me any more."
Kate Gleeson of Diffusion in Clontarf, which stocks British labels such as Betty Jackson and Ann-Louise Roswald, said: "London and Paris are really the two main cities that I go to, but they have to have something different and special."
Like Creedon, she found the exhibition disappointing. "I am always looking for something exciting and I didn't find it."
More than 200 ready-to-wear and accessories exhibitors are housed in marquees at the Natural History Museum and, if some sections are on the decline, others are growing, such as the "Estethica" section. It promotes eco-fashion, showcasing long-established "green brands" alongside emerging designers.
Izzy Lane, for example, is attempting to rebuild the British wool industry using fleece from rescued Wensleydale and Shetland sheep. A Mexican company employing 700 workers makes bags from sweet wrapping papers, misprinted barcodes and magazine cuttings. Junky Styling transforms men's suits into clubbing gear, while Noir uses ethical fabrics and fabrication.
If recycling is in vogue, so too is reviving old brands. Revamped British label Jaeger, which took to the runway for the first time in its 125-year-history, made everyone sit up with its hairy Mongolian coats and bags and carpet-print capes.