Fashion Business Club

Samata Angel continues to shine. Following her win of the Red Carpet Green Dress Project, Samata has now been appointed the Global Director of the Red Carpet Green Dress Project.

Suzie Amis Cameron, James Cameron, Samata Angel and the winning design worn by Aine Campbell-He

Samata’s clothing label, “Samata’s Muse” won the prestigious award on February 13th 2011. As part of her prize, her pink silk and chiffon gown fabricated from sustainable textiles, and organic hemp silk and chiffon, was worn on the red carpet of the Global Green Pre-Oscar party by model Aine Campbell-He.

Founded by Suzy Amis Cameron, wife of academy award winner James Cameron, and her sister, Rebecca Amis, the Red Carpet Green Project was created to stimulate sustainable design, global green education, and raise funds for MUSE Global and the non-profit MUSE School California.

This exciting position will see Samata Angel working on the global sustainable dress project for the 2012 Oscar Awards with the aim to bring attention to the beauty and practicality of sustainable design, so that more people will consider sustainable alternatives and practices in their own lives.

Samata Angel and Suzie Amis Campbell

To keep up with developments about the Red Carpet Green Dress Project click here.

To see designs by Samata’s Muse Click here.

Blog written by Bukie Aje-Lloyd FBC london

FPW invites all FBC members to a drinks reception on Wednesday 18th May 6-8 pm at One Marylebone.

The winner of FPW will be announced at the reception. We wish FBC members HEMYCA, KNOCK ON THE DOOR, VIKING WONG and YAN TO the best of luck.

A JOURNEY THROUGH AN ENGLISH COUNTRY GARDEN:

With this striking AW 11 Collection, Beautiful Soul takes us on a romantic journey through an English country garden. Painting By Numbers explores the eternal appeal of English tradition, providing an escape from London in a collection reflective of artistic heritage and fresh, vibrant colours and shapes that inject a breath of fresh air into autumn/winter.

Beautiful Soul founder and designer Nicola Woods combines elements of vintage and eco-luxury fashion with a carefully considered construction process based on environmentally sustainable practices and fair trade production. Since launching her label in 2008, Nicola continues to gain media recognition through her involvement in major fashion exhibitions and the numerous awards she has won including the 2010 Future 100 Award, Ethical Fashion Forum’s INNOVATION Award. She also features in the Vogue April 2011 issue.

Beautiful Soul is stocked in the V&A, My Sugarland and via their own e-commerce offering: www.beautiful-soul.co.uk.

Click here to watch Beautiful Soul’s AW 11 Collection video, Painting By Numbers.

Blog Written By : Bukie Aje Lloyd, FBC London

Leading business law firm Mishcon de Reya (MDR) in partnership with Fashion Press Week (FPW) is offering Fashion Business Club (FBC) members an incredible opportunity to showcase their AW 11 collections to a host of UK press across a two-day event as well as winning a year’s mentoring from fashion and media experts.

This incredible opportunity cements MdR’s commitment to supporting up and coming fashion designers and offers FBC members the chance to showcase their collections free of charge in the MdR space. Fashion Press Week will be taking place in May 2011 at One Marylebone, London and will preview a variety of high street, designer brands, boutiques, emerging talent and industry favourites. Press across fashion, consumer, lifestyle and trade media are set to attend.

For the second season running, MdR will be sponsoring an area at the event supporting emerging talent and ethical brands. To help choose the best up and coming talent, MdR has recruited a panel of industry aficionados ranging from designers and journalists to business mentors who will pick the brands who will show in the area and select one overall designer to win two mentoring sessions across the next twelve months. Our elite panel includes the following fashion, media and business experts:

Lauretta Roberts, Creative Director, WGSN Boutique– providing editorial direction and assistance editing collections for media

Alison Whelan, Co-Founder of Fashion Business Club – providing a gateway to the most elite fashion business network

Sara Berman, Fashion Designer – providing expert industry advice on running a fashion label

Suzy Socker, Managing Director, Fearnhurst PR – providing strategic PR counsel on maximising your editorial presence

Helen Croft, Legal Director, Mishcon de Reya – providing legal guidance on running a business

To qualify for a space within the gallery, designers must fit into one of two categories: Fashion Discovered and Fashion Fair. Fashion Discovered will be dedicated to celebrating fresh talent from the UK who have been trading for a minimum of two years whilst Fashion Fair will showcase the UK’s most fashionable, ethical brands.

For more details please contact Suzy Socker at Fearnhurst PR on 020 7317 2783 / suzy@fh-pr.com

FBC is very pleased to have been an official partner of the inaugural WGSN Global Fashion Awards. The awards were conceptualised by FBC member Lauretta Roberts, WGSN’s digital development director, and executed to perfection by a WGSN team from around the globe.

The awards ceremony took place on the 18th floor at the Waldorf Astoria in New York on the 10th of November. Hosted by Nigel Barker, one of our proudest moments was when FBC member Harold Tillman CBE was recognised for his 40 plus years in the industry with the John Rocha designed, Waterford crystal trophy marked with Outstanding Contribution to Fashion. The award was much deserved as Harold is chairman of the British Fashion Council and owns two of Britain’s most iconic heritage labels: Jaeger and Aquascutum.

Nigel Barker, Harold Tillman and Barney’s Simon Doonan

FBC blog editor and celebrity fashion stylist, Rebekah Roy was responsible for nominating her longtime client, London-based fashion designer, William Tempest in the category of best Emerging Brand or Retailer. With a shortlist that included strong brands from around the world, William came out on top and won the award. William also was charged with dressing FBC co-founder Courtney Blackman, who wore a one-of-a-kind William Tempest dress to the awards ceremony, then changed into a piece from his SS11 collection for the after party. Courtney was representing the Global Fashion Awards through her PR agency, Forward PR and was there in the capacity of official FBC envoy.

Sarah Curran (2nd from right) with her team: Luisa de Paula, Fiona McIntosh, Jean-Marc Bouhelier and Lauren Stevenson

The winners of the Global Fashion Awards were selected by an expert panel of judges, made up the most influential people in fashion and style, including FBC board member and editor of VOGUE.COM, Dolly Jones, who was present at the ceremony in New York along with FBC members Sarah Curran, founder & CEO of my-wardrobe.com and executive headhunter, Orlando Martins of Oresa Limted.

Congratulations to Lauretta Roberts for creating a truly amazing event. We’ll look forward to the 2011 Global Fashion Awards!

Visit the GFA website for full details and results from the evening: WGSN Global Fashion Awards.

See Lauretta on the 25th of November at Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™ for the next FBC meeting, where she will interview the legendary Yasmin Sewell. For details contact: membership@fashionbusinessclub.net or press@fashionbusinessclub.net

Michael Herz at the July FBC meeting where he interviewed Edward Enninful

Longtime FBC member Michael Herz, the new creative director of womenswear for Bally can chalk SS/11 up as a success! Michael designed accessories including handbags and shoes to astounding positive review from WWD, Style.com and from Anna Wintour herself!  And the range has been picked up by Net-a-Porter.

Michael says, “My time at Bally so far has been amazing. I’m really enjoying the new challenges that the creative director role brings to the table, and although the travel is intense, I am getting to visit some rather exciting places. The S/S11 season has been a triumph, well received by both international media and buyers, and  I thoroughly enjoyed designing shoes and handbags – a real departure from coats!”

See some of Michael’s designs below:

Congratulations, Michael!

In just over a month FBC co-founder and co-chairman Courtney Blackman has managed to organise several fashion shows through her PR agency Forward PR, an FBC meeting featuring FBC board member and VOGUE.COM’s Dolly Jones interviewing Laura Bailey, be hailed style icon and if all this was not enough, she is about to moderate a debate called Fashion Meets Tradition for SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS on the 20th of October before flying off to New York for the WGSN Global Fashion Awards (FBC member Lauretta Roberts‘ initiative). To describe Courtney as busy is surely an understatement.

The discussion will include contributions from authoritative guest speakers such as FBC member and fashion & celebrity stylist, Rebekah Roy, fashion designer Maria Grachvogel, Swarovski’s director of trend and design, Ute Shumacher and Rasha Khouri from Dia Boutique.

“I’m really looking forward to moderating the Fashion Meets Tradition with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS seminar at Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™. We have the most amazing panel that spans the globe with a designer from London, a manufacturer from Dubai and a top fashion editor from Lebanon, and a host of media is being flown in from the Middle East to mix with the best of London’s fashion industry. It’s a hugely important event that will explore culture, history and how traditional wear it is being brought to life in the contemporary world through modern design and embellishment. I can’t wait!” – Courtney Blackman

The seminar follows the private view launch party of the stunning Jawaher (Jewel) exhibition the evening before on 19th of October, featuring a fashion spectacular alongside an exhibition of creations from global designers. FBC’s venue partner, Swarovski CRYSTALLIZED™, run by FBC member Stine Brogaard, will be lavishly decorated in styles reminiscent of an Arabian palace with an exotic Bedouin tent. Opulent mirrors, mosaics and drapes bedecked with crystals will complement interactive floor media, and sensory reactive crystals will further add to the enchanting, ultra-luxurious atmosphere.

Interested in attending the preview evening on the 19th or the seminar on the 20th, or both? Please contact Chloe Wheywell at SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS: chloe.wheywell@swarovski.com

Sammy & Marcelo at Sapphires Model Management

FBC members and managing partners of Sapphires Model Management, Ian Warren and Neely Reyes are holding a London Fashion Week model scouting competition. Have you ever fancied being a scout for a day?

Model scouts are some of the most important people in fashion and are always on the hunt for the next big face to grace the catwalk and magazines. For a model scout even a trip to the supermarket can turn into a successful days work and many of the biggest names in the modeling industry have been spotted simply shopping or wandering down the street!

To be a good model scout you need to be chatty and confident with a good sense for fashion and an eye for timeless beauty.  As you can imagine, you will be approaching gorgeous boys and girls with what might sound like a strange request so it’s important that you are friendly and well presented!

To enter the Sapphires Model Management Scouting Competition, in 250 words, tell Sapphires Model Management what makes you the perfect budding model scout. The most creative answers will be posted on the Sapphires website and the winner will get to spend a day during London Fashion Week learning what it takes with the Sapphires team.

Entries should be sent in to: contact@sapphiresmodel.com

Good Luck!

From dresses to jumpsuits to handbags, FBC board member Daisy de Villeneuve’s custom designed prints grace almost everything in Zac Posen’s diffusion line, Z Spoke, which was shown on the catwalk for the first time during New York Fashion Week.

“For Spring, Z Spoke has a decidedly young, cartoon-y and slightly madcap sensibility, partly via illustrator Daisy de Villeneuve’s kooky-chic prints of smiling fruit, and a Celia Birtwell-esque motif of multi-culti faces,” says Meenal Mistry on Style.com,

Read the full review here: Daisy de Villeneuve for Z Spoke

Images from Style.com by Yannis Vlamos / GoRunway.com

Official Z Spoke invitation in original Daisy de Villeneuve print with Daisy de Villeneuve signature

An interview with  FBC member and Founder and  Director of Milli Millu, Mireia Llusia-Lindh.

What is your fashion business background?
I don’t have a very traditional fashion background as I studied business and worked in management consulting for many years. I have always loved fashion though so I tried to focus on consumer and luxury goods clients and had the privilege of advising clients such as Burberry and LVMH on their strategy issues.

About 1.5 years ago, I decided it was time to move from the advisory to the execution side and decided to launch my own accessories brand. So I have spent the past 18 months searching for beautiful leathers and materials, selecting our manufacturing partner, developing the collection and introducing our brand to the press. It has been an incredibly exciting journey so far and I have enjoyed every minute.

What inspired you to create a handbag collection?
It was a combination of two things, on the one hand my passion for design and on the other the aim to fulfill a customer need that I felt was unmet. Working as a management consultant I always struggled to find the perfect handbag. The bags on offer were either cool or functional, none was the perfect fusion of the two. I ran a small survey among other working women and 95% said they couldn’t find their perfect handbag either. This confirmed the opportunity was there. I had other business ideas that I thought could work, but fashion and design is where my heart lies so when I became pregnant 1.5 years ago and had to take time off, I decided to go for it and launch Milli Millu.

What is a typical day for you like?
Like many women out there, I am juggling running a business with motherhood, so there’s lots of multitasking! When I am not with my daughter Olivia, product is my main focus and what takes most of my time, both developing the new collections and ensuring the production of the current collection is on track. There are several additional projects that take the rest of my time, at the moment I am working very closely with the agency to finalize the website and I also spending time introducing Milli Millu to the press. I work most evenings as Olivia is asleep and it’s when my creativity peaks… I’m a night owl!

When is your website launching?
www.millimillu.com will be launched in mid-September, offering the A/W 2010 collection exclusively across Europe.

How does being part of FBC have a positive affect on your business?
The FBC has been a great discovery for me, I was introduced by a friend 4 months ago and I cannot speak highly enough. I always learn something from the speakers and the networking is opening a lot of interesting opportunities for my business. I always look forward to the next meeting!

For more information visit Milli  Millu.