I lived my Andy-Sachs-from-The-Devil-Wears-Prada dream this year, and attended 2 wonderful London Fashion Week invite-only events, representing Delta Of Phoenix @delta_of_phoenix and Loanhood @loanhood. As a fashion designer and small brand founder, I’ve been a part of London Fashion Week shows & created garments for the London Fashion Week events previously { see Delta Of Phoenix London Fashion Week 2021 }, but to be on the other side of the London Fashion Week creative glamour, whilst wear a unique Delta Of Phoenix @delta_of_phoenix organza ballgown dress I'd created for myself, was so wonderful, and the two London Fashion Week events I attended were innovative, visually beautiful & informative.
For London Fashion Week this year, I was invited to two events on the same day, and felt like I was in an episode of ANTM rushing between go-sees, whilst wearing my own Delta Of Phoenix @delta_of_phoenix unique lilac and apple organza design { see here }. As the last day of February’s London Fashion Week, there was an already evident sense of networking momentum and flow.
EVENT ONE
The first event was curated by designer Jens Laugesen @jens_laugesen_official Hosted on the very wonderful 11th Floor of The Rowe building, based in Whitechapel London, even the venue experience was dreamy in itself – being greeted at the door, led through a sci-fi film entrance foyer to another very kind gentlemen in the rainbow lifts, with a panoramic cityscape of London.
As my first phygital experience event, I was initially taken aback by the sparseness of the space, with seemingly only 3 garments presented in a very open industrial room. After downloading the respective app via QR code, I could then see the concept more clearly and was very impressed by the innovation {SEE VIDEO HERE}. Television screens along the walls presented a few films showcasing the brand identity and designs in alternate ways.
So as to do the event justice, please see some accounts (those I could find) of those involved below:
VIRTUAL TOUCH @virtualtouch_official
LFW Event Producer - @richardthornn
The space became an active hub of London Fashion Week networking, it was wonderful to meet other innovative creatives and learn about how they created/pursued their respective art forms within the fashion industry. Photo, of me in my unique Delta Of Phoenix @delta_of_phoenix organza ballgown, below by Rakkesh Patel @rakkesh.jpeg_ .
In between events, I stopped for sushi and gyoza at Taro @tarorestaurants - glamorous 30 minutes to recoop and compose for Event Two.
The second London Fashion Week event I attended, hosted on bustling Regent Street, was the Vogue Business @voguebusiness X Snapchat ‘Conversations On The Future Of Fashion’. Super organised and smooth as soon as you walked in, my ticket was checked and I was told to experience the exhibiton first, and the talk would follow later in the evening. Being incredibly disorganized, I had no idea what to expect, and was really blown away, instantly being taken back to the magic of V&A exhibitions I’ve visited previously.
Six rooms, all curated & created by six different designers, held a brand-representative concept space, all with AR filter mirrors, where designs could be ‘tried on’. Imagine you could point your phone at a mirror, and you could see what certain designs looked like via an AR filter, but these filters also had an extra magical twist (the way a garment grew on your body, the way the fabric moved or glistened). Being transported to alternate aesthetic universes as you walked through all six, it was really interesting to see how each designer had chosen to utilize the AR filter. See below photos of the respective designers’ curated spaces & my AR mirror selfies in each on, but also { CLICK THIS LINK } to see video clips of the extra magical elements.
- KENNETH IZE @kennethize
- STELLA MCCARTNEY @stellamccartney
- VERSACE @versace
- DIOR @dior
- RICHARD QUINN @richardquinn
- THEBE MAGUGU @thebemagugu
Even though all the spaces were really individually beautiful, I fell in love with the Stella Mccartney @stellamccartney room & AR experience – the way the dress magically developed up your body following a trail of fairytale mushrooms { SEE HERE } – the way the Delta Of Phoenix @delta_of_phoenix dress I wore felt really wonderful with the glowing mushrooms shining through the lilac organza – it felt incredibly enchanting.
A London Fashion Week Vogue Business @voguebusiness X SNAPCHAT event wouldn’t be complete with a VOGUE COVER MOMENT – I just could not resist – Delta Of Phoenix on the cover of Vogue? Yes please honey:
We were then directed upstairs to an exhibition space, instantly greeted by the option of champagne, beautiful cocktail one or even more glamorous cocktail two (I opted for champagne ~ it worked best with my outfit ((am I joking? I’m not sure anymore)) ).
Half an hour or so of connecting with some incredibly wonderful & overwhelmingly successful fashion industry creatives, we sat down and the talk began. Kirsty McGregor, Executive European Editor from @voguebusiness , introduced the topic of discussion:
‘Conversations On The Future Of Fashion’
Both guests presented their current & futuristic visions & uses of AR within the fashion industry – it was so interesting the learn about the development of Snapchat's ‘Spectacles’ (a technology I had previously believed only to exist in sci-fi films) and other ways in which AR is already being used within the fashion industry.
Another glass of champagne, another half an hour or so of connecting with fellow creative folk – a truly wonderful evening. On the train home, I felt very wholesome and glowy, reminisicing in the ‘pinch-me’ moments of wearing a beautiful dress I created to two events I’ll never forget. Andy Sachs moment eat your heart out.