London Fashion Week Begins, Can It Rival New York?

London Fashion Week kicks off on Friday (September 14, 2012), with the world’s biggest designers, models and fashionistas expected to hit the capital for the annual event, which runs until Tuesday.

Highlights are expected to include Henry Holland, Vivienne Westwood, Matthew Williamson and a Topshop event showcasing its spring/summer 2013 designs. The high street store is embracing social media in an attempt to stand-out from the high-fashion crowd and will allow website users to customise clothes and accessories from its latest collection as it appears on the catwalk. Topshop’s chief marketing officer Justin Cooke told The Guardian, “We want to take the energy and the excitement of our iconic Oxford Street store to millions of people all over the world through Topshop.com… It's social, it's commerce and it's entertainment all rolled into one.” The British Fashion Council has also ensured that 70 per cent of this season’s shows are being live-streamed. Social media has been a hot talking point at the recent New York Fashion Week, and not always for the right reasons. It seems bloggers are back in the spotlight and traditional fashion photographers complained of iPhones being held aloft beside the catwalks, blocking their view. The New York Observer reports that one photographer plans to draft a letter of grievance to designers highlighting the devaluation of their work by competing online writers.

Three years ago, blogger Tavi Gevinson received more media attention then the designers and models she was reporting on. At the age of just 13, she was a special guest, sitting on the front row at most shows with one ANNA WINTOUR.