Illustration by Holly Berry

Fashion Business Club isn’t just about networking with people in the fashion industry.  Its members, each with different and ever growing agendas, are constantly evolving the creative industries as well as the social ones- including inspiring young people in the community to get involved with politics through fashion.

FBC board member Daisy de Villeneuve by Barry Lategan

Daisy de Villeneuve, an FBC board member, is on the judging panel for Think Act Vote, a campaign dedicated to motivate people in taking what they believe in and using that in the forthcoming election.  In collaboration with Komodo, an ethical fashion label, Think Act Vote will search for an earth friendly (carbon neutral) campaign t-shirt from contesting up and coming designers, artists, and illustrators.  The only credential? The t-shirt will have to include the slogan: Think Act Vote in order to get the message across to the public. Daisy de Villeneuve says: “Thick Act Vote is a fantastic way to encourage young people to get voting- if you don’t vote then you can’t complain about the result!”

And that’s the truth.  Coming from founder, Amisha Ghadiali: “If politics were a fashion label, you wouldn’t wear it. We want to use creativity to create a community around the choices we make for our future.”Amisha is also an associate director at the Ethical Fashion Forum, of which FBC co-chair Courtney Blackman sits on the board.

The deadline for submissions is 12 noon on Sunday 7th March where the winner will be announced at a launch party in April and then produced by Komodo.  As ethical hero Katherine Hamnett puts it: “Use it before you lose it.”

Lee Lapthorne FBC member is a textile designer,  curator, catwalk show producer and creative director of The Doll and On|Off .

What’s happening at OnOff?
LL - At our new venue (Victoria House, WC1B 4DA) we have 16 catwalk shows and presentations this February 19 - 22nd, and 26 exhibition designers and artists. Our official party on 20th will feature none other that Neneh Cherry (last season Soul II Soul wowed the guests by performing live with Caron Wheeler) and a succession of secret gigs planned sometime over the event in aid of a charity working with children who survived the Haiti earthquake.

What are the highlights?
LL - We are really excited that J Maskery is following Pam Hogg’s successful come back steps in choosing On|Off to launch her new collection. And it’s our selection of debuting designers including On|Off Presents…(Friday 19th at 19:00hrs) that we are most excited about. Known for discovering and launching Mark Fast, Hannah Marshall and Richard Sorger, this season’s collections are focused and successful. Hosting Roksanda Ilincic’s show, known for her refined and beautifully crafted demi-couture pieces, is a huge honor for this season. Moreover, included in our exhibition are show pieces from Alexander Koutny’s Victoria Secrets catwalk show collaboration. Oh and not forgetting our limited edition travel wallets, this season designed by the renowned illustrator Richard Gray.

How long have you been producing shows for?
LL - I’ve been producing shows since 1996, but I am known for the creative shows I produced for Preen, Red or Dead and Robert Cary Williams (his famous ice dress, and the horse show were highlights). I’ve produced and directed shows that span the full spectrum of fashion from, to name a few, shows for Gucci, Hackett, Graduate Fashion Week, ‘Make me a super model’, ‘Britain’s Next Top Model’ and more, recently directing the vast Clothes Show Live and London main theatre shows.

What other project does On|Off have coming up?
LL - Due to the success of last season’s On|Off Paris Fashion Week showroom, we are managing our showroom for its second season, displaying the best of On|Off fashion collections for sale to international buyers. We are also producing short industry On|Off.tv films for the website and a unique blog. We are also currently researching ideas for new directions for the brand in support of the industry at large.

What’s your fashion background?
LL - I have an extensive fashion background, starting as a training manager for the Sears group in the late 80’s, to visual merchandising for Top Shop/Man and working in the creative team for shop refits whilst studying for my degree, graduating in 1996. I then won a bursary to study for my Textiles (for Fashion and Architecture) Masters, which I completed with distinction in 1998. In 1997 I worked for Zowie Broach on a pop video for the band Suede, who encouraged me to use my skills in producing and directing fashion shows. In 1998, I produced my first LFW show for Emma Cook and my production career grew from there… In 2001 I was invited back to the University I graduated from to run the MA Fashion Course for the UCE, where I gained the endorsement from Alexander McQueen to change its direction. I have continued to lecture in fashion and textiles at numerous institutions and I have helped to validate new University courses. I have just been appointed as the External Examiner at Central Saint Martin’s for the Textiles Degree course. I started On|Off in 2003, when no other initiatives like On|Off existed, supporting designers to showcase and sell their collections. I continue my hands on approach to support debuting designers showcasing at On|Off, such as Mark Fast and Yang Du. In 2009 I launched my own textiles range of mens fashion accessories with designer Clare Copland and our first collection debuted at Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge, London. I am currently working on a new fashion event, which will be launched in September 2010.

For more information visit On|Off.

FBC member Anna Brett is the MD of The Image Studio. Anna’s work is long done before the rest of us see it at London Fashion Week.They specializes in manufacturing high end fashion designer wear in central London. They’ve worked with some of London’s best talent including Vivienne Westwood, Marios Schwab, Peter Pilotto, William Tempest, Emilio de la Morena. The Image Studio won the Topshop Award Winner for Product Innovation.

Anna Brett - “We are extremely busy here at Image Studio Production, helping both established and hot new designers translate their creative designs for LFW into fabulous reality! Just wait until you see this seasons catwalks as we are already really excited about some of the new samples coming out!

For more information on The Image Studio contact annabrett.image@zen.co.uk.

London Fashion Week is quickly approaching and many, if not all of our members are participating in LFW.

Over the next few weeks FBC will be posting articles on what are members are doing during London Fashion Week!

Courtney Blackman is co-founder & co-chairman of Fashion Business Club and known for her fashionable outfits at FBC events, but she’s also the MD of Forward PR. Forward PR represents new and established designers, including several ethical designers. Courtney has organized events and fashion shows from the Ford Models Supermodel of the World UK to catwalk shows in Paris.

Most members know you as FBC co-founder & co-chairman, could you tell us more about Forward PR?
CB -I launched Forward PR in 2004 after the designer I was working for relocated to Tokyo. My initial clients were jewellery and accessory designers, so at first I was somewhat specialised in PR’ing jewellery and accessories. In the last couple of years we’ve (we’re a little team now) taken on a variety of clients - all in fashion - ranging from fashion designers; to Fred&Ginger - designer lingerie; to a model agency: Sapphires Model Management; to big events including the Ford Models Supermodel of the World UK Search and the 2009 Fashion Summit. I really love PR. I was born a natural people person.

What’s your fashion background?
CB - I’ve been running Forward PR for the past 6 years, and co-founded and act as managing director of Fashion Business Club, where we just celebrated our 4th birthday! I joined the board of the Ethical Fashion Forum last September, and I also do a bit of fashion writing for Blank magazine out of Panama. Prior to that, I was the London editor for Fashionista out of Chicago, and prior to that I worked for a London-based designer as her PR and marketing director.

In the last six months I’ve been involved in some exciting events and projects. I sat on the Advisory Board of the 2009 Fashion Summit, as well as the panel discussing the power of the fashion press. I was just one of the fashion panellists at the Ecommerce Summit discussing blogging and Twitter (which I’m apparently obsessed with).  I also sat on the expert panel for the first ever Handbag.com Online Fashion Awards, and judged this year’s Iconique Societás Awards^TM. Yes, I keep myself busy!

You’re involved in Fashion Week this season. What are you doing?
CB - One of our jewellery clients who we have looked after for several years, LeJu, will be exhibiting at London Fashion Week for the 6th season! It’s been amazing to watch them grow.
Also, we’ve just taken on Prophetik, a Tennessee-based sustainable label that has been exhibiting at London Fashion Weeks’s estethica for the past few seasons. This season Prophetik is showing at Vauxhall Fashion Scout, kicking off the shows there on the 19th at 1:00pm. We’re very busy getting ready! If anyone would like to request tickets, please send a note to: prophetik@forwardpr.com

You’re involved with the Ethical Fashion Forum. Can you tell us more about your involvement with this?
CB - I am a board member at the EFF, which is a network that focuses on social and environmental sustainability in the industry. I was really interested in joining the board since sustainability is such a growing factor in fashion. The EFF is great, as it’s not set up to enforce sustainability, but to educate and and act as a resource, pointing designers in the right direction if they’re looking for sustainable materials or socially responsible manufacturing. I know I’ll learn a lot by being on the board and am happy to apply my skill set and network to help the organisation expand. My next focus will be building a panel of ambassadors and a special advisory group.

Courtney can be contacted via e-mail on: courtney.blackman@forwardpr.com

S.C.Vizcarra handbags by FBC member Rita Nazareno are now available at Suzannah boutique, including the lovely little handbag that Courtney Blackman Co-Founder & Co-Chairman has named “Blue Bell“!

Suzannah
6 Bristol Gardens,
London W9 2JG

Alison Whelan (when not running FBC with Courtney Blackman) is MD and founder of AWL, a specialist fashion and beauty copywriting agency. Some of her clients include Cocosa.com, Swarovski, Paul & Joe Beauty, Tank Magazine/ Tank Forum, Levi’s, & Lee Jeans.

Tell us about Love AWL.
AW - Love AWL blog launched New Year 2010 - As a fashion copywriter and creative I wanted to start my own dialogue and communicate how I see the world / what colours my style of writing / people I love / all the reasons you might want to employ me really.

Do you Twitter?
AW- We successfully started a loveAWL twitter page last year and loved it so much - I just had to expand to more than 140 characters.

You’ve wanted to blog for sometime, why now?
AW - In all honesty it was whilst overhauling the FBC website blog that my attention turned to what I could do for AWL. FBC really is an inspiration to my own business. I’m a method copywriter - I absolutely have to get into the character of the brand I am working with in order to pin down the correct tone of voice. That often means sitting at the computer wearing shoes I can’t walk in, full-make-up and calling everyone Sweetie! I’m in character! In a world where everyone is shouting BUY BUY BUY its important for any and all brands to connect with their customer.

When copywriting is done well - it’s completely natural and you don’t even know you are being sold to. I love the language of Pret, Twitter, my-wardrobe.com, Top Shop and a many others. Some brands have a huge disconnect between their websites / their stores and their twitter pages. It’s such an easy problem to fix and sales are effected by language!

What are the goals of Love AWL?
AW - SHARE stories and ideas, entertain and inform people. I love film and if I’m bombarded by 150 emails a day - then probably so are many of my peer group. Sometimes I just want to kick back and watch a music video - I’d like to be the email people look forward to reading.

SO - Lets be ENTERTAINED - SIGN UP to LoveAWL and click the twitter icon!

FBC member and fashion stylist Anne Look and FBC photographer Dave Wise shoot the cover story for the December Issue of  Every Model Magazine!

“The image story is a about being glamorous at night. Thus image pairs are repressed blacks and then colour for later.” Dave Wise

“Anne is good fun to work with she clearly has an eye for what she does! Anne is good fun on set and helped tremendously to keep the energy up. ” Dave Wise

-Rebekah Roy Fashion Stylist & FBC Editor

Sarah Curran CEO of my-wardrobe.com recently won Gold: Overall Winner and Best Innovation at the 2009 Drapers E-Tail Awards as well as being nominated for Best Emerging Retailer at the 2009 Retail Week Awards.

What is your fashion CV?
After leaving the Times Online, I pursued my dream to start my own business with the opening of my boutique Powder in Crouch End, North London in 1st August 2003. I have always been interested in fashion, but whereas most girls would say that the buying and the clothes side of it is their passion, for me, it’s always been the business and the numbers that has fascinated me. I always wanted to have a boutique that was accessible to everyone and that women wouldn’t feel intimidated by or excluded from. The goal for me with Powder was to create a retailer that offered bridge brand designers and a price point for every one, coupled with brilliant customer service and sublime packaging.

After starting my family (my son Jake was born 30 days after the opening of Powder), we moved to France and it was then that my husband and I discussed expanding the business online. We wanted to create an online brand with its own identity, not restricted geographically by a location, but had the potential to become a global brand in its own right, so we chose the name my-wardrobe.com, over Power Fashion. my-wardrobe.com was soft launched in December 2005 and officially launched in April 2006 and within six months my-wardrobe.com was outperforming Powder in monthly sales.

What is the most challenging aspect of having an online business?
The most challenging aspect would be overcoming the virtual experience that some customers can have when shopping online. This is why telephone numbers and email address are visible on every page. Our customer service team are trained in product knowledge and trends, so they can give the best and most relevant advice to customers. The editorial content is ‘friend to friend’ and we have created a my-wardrobe.com tone that ensures that brand is considered to be aspirational yet attainable by our customers. This was also a key driver for the launch of our my-tv feature on the site.

What is the perfect 360 experience for the customer on my-wardrobe.com?
Good product, good website experience, good customer service and delivery and exceptional packaging.

How do you choose your brands?
Our philosophy is to focus on accessible luxury designers. Value and investment are key when we are doing our buy. We are proud to have long-standing relationships with some of the world’s most desired brands including Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, Paul Smith and D&G Dolce&Gabbana. Our buying team travel around the world picking up must-have brands, as well as new and up and coming labels to make our offer interesting to the consumer. It’s important to have a good mix of brands and an offer that fits the needs of our customer.

• What do you enjoy most about your job?
I love working with our team. We have such a passionate and dedicated team and have such fun driving the business forward. Every day is different and I love the challenge of pushing the boundaries of online retailing and finding new ways to browse and shop such as shopping from live video.

• How important is FBC and networking to your business?
FBC is extremely important to me as I get to meet with traditional retailers and designers, which otherwise would be hard to get everyone in one room. I feel we are stronger sharing experiences.

Visit My-Wardrobe.com

-Rebekah Roy Fashion Stylist & FBC Editor

Jimmy Ho has been in FBC since the beginning and is one of the few founding members.  He’s the designer and owner of OMyJimmy - a men’s and women’s eco and sustainable t-shirt label, and is the founder and editor of Clique Magazine, which treats its readers to all things fashion, beauty, lifestyle, art, design and anything uber-cool. Read about Jimmy’s journey on Drapers:

FBC Member Spotlight: Jimmy Ho

Myka Volney Press Director