Fashion Weeks - Because they're worth it?

This week I registered to attend London Fashion Week and took a look at what was on offer closer to home at Brighton Fashion Week . However, rather than review the wonders of creativity on show (I am a fan, have run my own catwalk at Brighton Fashion Week and just LOVE London) I set to musing on the value of these events. It's all great fun - but is it important and to whom? Perhaps it is just a navel gazing exercise for fashionistas with little real relevance to the 'real world'.

So, I thought I would try and find out some facts and figures - not normally my forte but, hey, variety is the spice of life (apparently). This is easier for the big events - so let's take a look at London first. Apparently LFW contributes over £20mil to the London economy and generates orders in the region of £100mil. There are visitors from over 25 countries. So, you don't have to care about fashion to appreciate the value.

London is one of the 'Big 4' - the others being New York, Milan and Paris all of which run in the same order each year and each of which has its own character. New York is 'sporty', London edgy, Milan just totally OTT and Paris the home of Haute Couture. However, that doesn't mean that these are the only places vying for a place on the fashion ladder of fame. Indeed there are over 40 Fashion weeks around the world in places as varied as Medellin, Colombia (the mind boggles) to Dubai, Hong Kong, Little Rock Arkansas and Berlin...and Brighton, Sussex of course.

Dubai Fashion Week

Milan Fashion Week

Clearly, there a lot of people trying to get a piece of the action. Good luck to them say I. It is good to see challenges to the big four - especially where they encourage local talent and provide a platform for success and access to world markets for talented people who otherwise may not get a look-in.

Haute Eco for Miss Sussex

Get Waisted is delighted to announce that we will be working with the beautiful Alyse Louisa Spratt – current Miss Sussex and finalist in the Miss England pageant to be held on June 26.

Toni will be working on the dress with Alyse for the Eco Fashion show. The Eco section  has grown increasingly important since it was launched in 2007 to become a critical round in the competition. It is a chance to highlight the importance and potential of using recycled materials and is part of the fashion show final.

The exact design is a big secret so suffice to say for now that it will combine recycling with something that is synonymous with Alyse’s beloved Sussex coast. Come back to the blog after the event for pictures and news of how she got on. In the meantime here is a picture of last years winner in a dress made from recycled cuttings from the Liverpool Echo. 

Miss Liverpool 2011 & the Liverpool Echo

Alyse at Hove Station Car Wash

Another key tenet of the Miss England franchise  is charitable works. Alyse and the other contestants in Miss England are working with the registered charity ‘Beauty With a Purpose’.

This year they are supporting Brent Knoll School for children with complex learning difficulties by doing a wide variety of sponsored activities – ranging from auctioning off past winning dresses to sky-diving and car-washes (reprising the 1976 movie with Richard Pryor…just in case you are too old to remember).

I'm so excited - I really want to tell you more about the dress. But I can't (mustn't) so we'll all just have to wait. In the meantime just a quick note: it is Brighton Fashion Week from 30th May to 3rd June.
 

I just can't believe how quickly it has come round. This year we kick off with the Brighton Frocks Show tonight (30th May) followed by the Zeitgeist Show on the 31st. I am sure it will continue to drive forward Brighton's ever burgeoning reputation as a centre of excellence for cutting edge fashion - cant wait.