The British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced that this year’s London Fashion Week will be staged in Soho, in a move designed to place the event in close proximity to major retail spaces and increase its footprint across the capital.
For the spring/summer 2016 event – which will take place between 18-22 September – the BFC will take up occupancy of two floors of the Brewer Street Car Park. The 1929 art deco building is rapidly becoming one of the West End’s most sought after creative spaces and frequently plays host to a number of events.
Announcing the news, BFC Chief Executive Caroline Rush says; “The long term growth of the UK’s designer fashion market is reflected geographically in this move that will see London Fashion Week designers showcasing collections in one of London’s most vibrant, diverse and creative hubs set within a mile of Bond Street, Dover Street, Mount Street, Oxford Street and Regent Street.”
The location will host not only the main catwalk shows and the Designer Showroom, but also a guest registration area, press centre and numerous buyer and sponsor spaces. Furthermore, it will be the location in which prominent industry figures will give a programme of free talks to the public as a means of driving city-wide support for the fashion industry, which currently employs more than 800,000 people and contributes £26 billion to the UK’s GDP.
The relocation of London Fashion Week from Somerset House to Soho is likely to be welcomed by the owners of the Carnaby portfolio, Shaftsbury. The Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) is set to continue its investment programme, following the decision of no less than 14 global brands to either relocate to the area or upsize their existing stores over the past 12 months.
Carnaby Street enjoyed its heyday in the 1960s, as the epicentre of Swinging London, when major film and music stars were common sightings in the area. Nevertheless a total of 44 million people visited the 13 streets which make up the 4.2 acre Carnaby portfolio last year, and Shaftesbury believes that further investment will benefit both businesses and consumers.
Shaftesbury has recently completed the redevelopment of Kingly Court, creating a three tiered open air complex at the south end of Carnaby Street which has already proved popular with restaurant brands.
The company believes that this will help to increase dwell time in the wider area, along with promoting the diversification of businesses operating in the area and allowing Carnaby Street to benefit from the lucrative evening crowds which flock to central London daily.
Head of retail strategy and leasing at Shaftesbury, Samantha Bain-Mollison, says; “People are spending longer in Carnaby and more money. We want it not just to be a retail destination but a sociable space.
“We don’t want to dis-acknowledge Carnaby’s history, but at the same time we don’t want to look back – we want it to be established as an international destination famous in its own right for dining, as well as shopping.”
Reflecting this strategy, the area is now home to over 20 restaurants, cafés and bar operators, including Pizza Pilgrims, Cha Cha Moon, Stax Diner, Whyte & Brown and The Detox Kitchen.
Recent fashion lettings include Parisian label A.P.C, niche Swedish menswear brand Our Legacy, Dutch fashion retailer SuperTrash and Pharrell Williams’ Billionaire Boys Club.
Later this year French clothing brand The Kooples is set to move from its existing store to a larger flagship unit on the street. Furthermore, make-up brand MAC is currently preparing to open a three storey, 5,500 sq ft store in September, while trendy footwear brand TOMS will open its first standalone UK store on Foubart’s Place in early May.
