Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective

Set for Third Season at London Fashion Week

Eight of Glasgow’s emerging young fashion designers will showcase their talent at London Fashion Week (LFW) in September 07 under the umbrella of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective.

This will be the initiative’s third season at LFW and the designers are all either from the Metropolitan Glasgow area, have trained here, or have chosen to be based in the city.

Joining existing Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective members Christopher Kane, Brazen and Olanic at LFW this season are: Aimee McWilliams, Deryck Walker, Jamie Bruski Tetsill, Scott Ramsay Kyle and Vidler & Nixon.

· Christopher Kane

Christopher Kane hails from the Metropolitan Glasgow area and is currently one of the fashion industry’s brightest young stars. He has been a member of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective since its debut appearance at London Fashion Week in September 06. His Spring/Summer 07 and Autumn/Winter 07 catwalk shows were hot tickets at LFW in September 06 and again in February this year receiving plaudits from both home and overseas. Support from the initiative this season at LFW will be provided towards Christopher’s Spring/Summer 08 catwalk show.

Exhibiting their work meanwhile on the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective stand in ‘The Tents’ at London’s Natural History Museum during LFW will be:

· Aimee McWilliams 

Aimee McWilliams spent her early years in Metropolitan Glasgow before moving to London. Graduating from Central Saint Martins in 2004 with a first class BA Honours in fashion womenswear, Aimee is considered one of the UK’s most successful rising designers. February 07 saw the presentation of her AW07/08 collection at OnIOff - her fifth catwalk presentation during LFW. The latter attracted the eye of the stylists for The Rolling Stones who commissioned showpieces for their recent world tour.

· Brazen. Based in Glasgow’s Merchant City district, this will be the second season at LFW for this jewellery/silversmith collective and their first within The Tents. Brazen’s debut collection, Magpie, was launched by Director Sarah Raffell at OnIOff in September 06 to critical acclaim by media including InStyle and Elle magazines.

· Jamie Bruski Tetsill. After leaving The Glasgow School of Art in 2005 with a first class BA Honours degree in Textiles, 25-year old Jamie then went on to graduate earlier this year with an MA in Fashion from Central Saint Martins. He showcased his graduate collection for AW07/08 at London Fashion Week in February of this year.

· Olanic. Taking influence from the underground, Glasgow-based label Olanic - headed up by Niki Taylor - is driven by the idea of heightening everyday, practical styles with a directional, tailored edge. Performance – whether related to art and film or music – is also a pivotal inspiration. Olanic has exhibited for the past two seasons at OnIOff as part of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective. This will be the label’s first season inside The Tents.

 
· Scott Ramsay Kyle. 24 year old Scott Ramsay Kyle showed his work at London Fashion Week earlier this year as part of the Central Saint Martins 2007 graduate show and there’s no doubting that this former graduate of The Glasgow School of Art is one to watch. His fresh embroidery designs can be seen on Emma Cook’s Spring / Summer 07 collections, and he is currently working for edgy design house Boudicca, on their Haute Couture collection for the upcoming Paris Fashion Week, as well as working with world-renowned stylist Jane How on a collaborative project. 

· Vidler & Nixon. Kerry Nixon was born and raised in Glasgow and after growing up in the city she moved to London where she graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in Violin and Electronic Music in 2001. Classical Concertos and 24-speaker surround-sound installations were her staple before turning her talents to fashion, when a chance meeting with Stefan Vidler sparked a range of intricate one-off pieces leading to their first collection for Spring/Summer 2006. Celebrity fans of their designs include Sienna Miller, Keira Knightly and Björk.

At OnIOff at the Royal Academy of Arts will be:

· Deryck Walker

Having studied fashion/textiles in Glasgow, Scottish-born Deryck Walker launched his menswear label in 2004 and this season will showcase his first-ever womenswear collection at OnIOff as part of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective.

Applications were received from a record twenty one designers and following a collegiate decision by the Glasgow advisory panel², selected applicants were put forward to the British Fashion Council judging panel at a vetting session held specifically for the initiative.

Leading Glasgow designers Timorous Beasties have once again lent their support by allowing their iconic thistle design to be incorporated into the artwork for the creative.

The initiative forms part of the city’s strategic repositioning, which has been underway since the launch of the Glasgow: Scotland with style brand in March 2004, using a wide range of ‘products’ including: fashion, design, art, architecture, events, food, film, music, sport and the performing arts to profile the city’s creativity

As the principal sponsor of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective, GCMB has committed in excess of £40k towards the London Fashion Week initiative, which will encompass designer support and pre-publicity – all of which should help attract the attention of the UK and international press and buyers.

Such is the project’s potential commercial impact that GCMB has received a contribution of £30k from the Scottish Government towards the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective’s appearance at LFW in September. The textiles sector alone is hugely important to Scotland’s economy and international standing, the industry employs about 38,000 people and generates more than £2 billion annually. The Scottish Government acknowledge that by supporting the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective and new Scottish designers, the textile industry can only grow from strength to strength.

The Scottish Government’s Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture, Linda Fabiani said: "This is a great opportunity for eight of our brightest young fashion designers to showcase their talent on a global stage. Scotland has a world famous textiles industry and thriving further and higher education Art and Design facilities - it’s exciting to see this new generation keeping Glasgow and Scotland firmly on the fashion map"

Commenting on the initiative, Bailie Liz Cameron, Vice-Chair Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, added: “The Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective is now gathering real momentum as awareness of the initiative spreads among key influencers attending London Fashion Week.”

Jimmy Stephen-Cran, Head of Department – Textiles at The Glasgow School of Art and member of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective advisory panel, said: “It is simply staggering the impact that young Scots are having on the current fashion landscape.

“Glasgow City Marketing Bureau’s extremely smart decision to support these young movers and shakers is both inspired and boldly innovative.”

The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Marketing Bureau will co-host a Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective Reception for media and key influencers at LFW on Monday 17 September in The Catwalk Tent on the West Lawn of the Natural History Museum.

A bespoke microsite for the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective can be accessed at: www.seeglasgow.com/design

ENDS August 07

For more information please contact:

Moira Dyer, Senior Manager – Public Relations

Glasgow City Marketing Bureau

T: +44 (0) 141 566 0831. E-mail: moira.dyer@seeglasgow.com

(or)

Chris Hunt - Project Manager

Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective

T: +44 (0) 845 838 0268. E-mail: chris@genuinepr.com

Notes to editors:

1. Digital images of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective can be obtained from Chris Hunt at: e-mail: chris@genuinepr.com

2. The 2007 Glasgow-based advisory panel comprises: Eva Arrighi, Beauty and Lifestyle Editor – Sunday Herald Magazine; Jimmy Stephen-Cran, Head of Textiles – School of Design, the Glasgow School of Art; Paul Simmons, Alistair McAuley - Timorous Beasties and Moira Dyer, Senior Manager – Public Relations, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau.

3. Glasgow: Scotland with style was launched in March 2004 and has a budget of £4.4 million. The project has secured £2 million from Glasgow City Council and £1.8 million from the European Regional Development Fund through the 2000 - 2006 Western Scotland Objective 2 Programme. The campaign includes advertising, public relations, sponsorship and web activity.

4. London Fashion Week takes place from 15-20 September in ‘The Tents’ at the Natural History Museum. OnIOff is at the Royal Academy of Arts from 17-20 September.

5. Jennifer Lang - one of the original members of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective - has recently accepted a senior in-house position with a leading UK fashion retailer and will therefore not now be exhibiting at LFW.

Designer Quotes

· Aimee McWilliams

“There is a great calibre of talent that is emerging out of Glasgow and Scotland.

“The Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective is a phenomenal support in helping us achieve our dreams and goals.

“It is a pleasure to be recognized amongst this generation of designers who are now achieving international acclaim.”

· Brazen (Sarah Raffel, Director)

"We are thrilled that Brazen is once again part of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective.

“Its support last year was critical in launching our debut collection Magpie at OnIOff during London Fashion Week and there is no doubt that the collaboration this season will prove a potent mix in delivering an outstanding support mechanism to all designers involved."

· Christopher Kane

I am very grateful to have the continued support of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective for my third catwalk presentation at LFW.

“Few people understand the challenges of running your own fashion label with limited capital. The people behind the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective do and have been behind me since my first show.

“It feels really good to have support from my home city, Glasgow."

· Deryck Walker

"To be recognised by the city you come from is great, but when you realise that your Scottish contemporaries are on an international scale collectively, well that is something else."

· Jamie Bruski Tetsill

"After finishing my MA in Fashion at Central Saint Martins I feel that being part of the Glasgow Scotland with style Design Collective is the platform I need to move forward in my career. And I feel very proud to be doing this in association with Glasgow."
 

· Olanic (Niki Taylor)

"I am so proud to be part of the Glasgow Scotland with style Design Collective again.

“The support has enabled Olanic to show alongside our peers at London Fashion Week and demonstrate the strong creativity and talent emerging from Glasgow to an international audience.”

· Scott Ramsay Kyle
“I am honoured to be part of the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective and look forward to the opportunities it will bring."

· Vidler & Nixon

"We are so thankful to be included in the Glasgow: Scotland with style Design Collective for next season.

“It is an amazing opportunity for us as a young label and we're thrilled at being given the support we need at this crucial stage."