BATH IN FASHION 2016 BRINGS COLOUR & STYLE

TO THE WORLD HERITAGE CITY

Expect red carpet moments at Bath in Fashion 2016 (18th to 24th April) with a line-up

of stellar designers and fashion experts including Erdem, Julien Macdonald, Nicholas

Oakwell, David Downton, Livia Firth and Zandra Rhodes. As the fashion pack

descends on the World Heritage City, the week-long programme promises

stimulating debate, fast-paced catwalks, plus animation on the streets and in-store

with Bath in Fashion LIVE, a new element for 2016.

Respected commentators like Justine Picardie, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar, Tim Blanks, Editor at Large for The Business of Fashion, Claudia Croft, Head of Fashion at Sunday Times Style and Hilary Alexander join the debate plus

fashion writers like Colin McDowell and Avril Groom leading the conversation.

Topics range from the sartorial style of Cecil Beaton and Sir Roy Strong to the

influence of Valentino and Versace.

Tim Blanks, Editor at Large for The Business of Fashion will be in conversation

with Erdem. Erdem Moralioglu, trained at the prestigious Royal College of Art in

London and is known for his experimental use of textiles, vibrant prints, and detailed

craftsmanship. Erdem has received numerous accolades, including the British

Fashion Council’s Red Carpet Award in 2013 and the Womenswear Designer of the

Year Award in 2014. His dresses have been worn on the red carpet by The Duchess

of Cambridge, Alexa Chung, Keira Knightly and Alicia Vikander.

Justine Picardie, Editor-in-Chief of Harper’s Bazaar takes a thoughtful look at

fashion and talks about her book on Coco Chanel. Dame Zandra Rhodes will be

discussing her life and fabulous work with Sue James, Editorial Director of Woman

& Home. Zandra headed the new wave of London designers in the Seventies and

has stamped her identity on the world of fashion with her bold, colourful and feminine

creations. She has designed for Princess Diana, Freddie Mercury and Diana Ross

and her vintage dresses are much sought after for the Oscars. She founded

London’s Fashion and Textile Museum and also designs for opera.

Bath in Fashion stimulates debate with Avril Groom interviewing special guest Livia Firth, Creative Director of Eco Age Ltd and the driving force behind Green Carpet

Challenge which catapults sustainable style into the spotlight at the world’s most

high profile events. She has recently selected an Edit from the M&S Autumn/Winter

‘15 collection demonstrating how integrity is woven into the fabric of the firm.

A Nicolas Oakwell couture gown, commissioned by No 10’s GREAT Britain

campaign to showcase British couture design around the globe, is heading for Bath

in April. Created for the GREAT Festival of Creativity in Shanghai, this exquisite

gown, designed for super model Erin O’Connor, took 2320 hours and 90 metres of

fabric to create and is embellished with hundreds of rubies and 200,000 ostrich

feathers, each of which were hand sewn in place by students of the Royal School of

Needlework. Nicholas Oakwell whose dresses have been worn by Helen Mirren and

Paloma Faith will be a guest at Bath in Fashion 2016 in conversation with Hilary Alexander, former fashion director of the Daily Telegraph. Illustrator David Downton, who was also involved in the project, will be sharing behind-the-scenes

anecdotes from the world of fashion as he discusses his book “Portraits of the

World’s Most Stylish Women”.

Celebrated Welsh designer Julien Macdonald, known as Fashion’s King of

Glamour, will be talking about his life and work with Colin McDowell. During his

illustrious career Julien held key positions at Chanel and Givenchy before

establishing his own atelier in London in 2013. Julien is among an elite group of

designers whose careers were launched at Graduate Fashion Week which

celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2016. His creations are favoured by red carpet

celebrities including Beyoncé, Cheryl Cole and Jessie J. He creates collections for

Debenhams, who are sponsors for the event, alongside his couture work. Colin

McDowell has written 24 fashion books and is a regular contributor to the Business

of Fashion.

Ben Wild talks about his findings in “A Life in Fashion: The Wardrobe of Cecil Beaton” with illustrious fashion photographer, Tim Walker . Wild says “As a

fashion researcher what strikes me about Beaton's dress is how relevant and

contemporary it still is, some 34 years after his death. Designs by Giles Deacon

reveal his influence, as do those of Savile Row tailor Richard James. According to

Vogue’s Hamish Bowles “Beaton depicted the most stylish people and places of the

twentieth century”.

Bath based designer Joe Richards describes his latest collaboration inspired by the

William Morris archive with Stella Magazine’s Fashion Features Director, Kate Finnigan. Joe is Designer in Residence at Bath Spa University which is

programming a series of talks looking at the inspirational power of pattern with

speakers from Patternity and Darkroom.

British Vogue turns 100 in 2016 and to mark the occasion Bath based fashion

writer Professor Iain R Webb has created the very first grown up Vogue Colouring Book. Inspired by fifties fashion as seen in Vogue, the book features hand drawn

designs of glamorous gowns and dressy ensembles from designers like Dior,

Balenciaga, Givenchy and Chanel. Ian R Webb, who confessed he always coloured

outside the lines, said “it was a decade that went from black and white into colour; an

era of matching gloves, haughty elegance and hour glass silhouettes”. Bath in

Fashion is working with Iain Webb to create a giant colouring wall in the Bath

Anthropologie store.

Liberty marked its 140th birthday in 2015 with a retrospective at the Fashion & Textile

Museum. Many of the exhibits are on loan from Cleo and Mark Butterfield’s, C20

Vintage Fashion Archive. They will be talking about Liberty at Bath in Fashion 2016

with fashion historian NJ Stevenson. Liberty, bastion of Arts and Crafts, was at the

heart of the 20th century's most exciting period in British design, music and film.

Butterfield says “Liberty prints and fabrics encapsulated 60s radicalism and 70s

wearable art, mixing grooviness with the magical and pastoral to create mesmerising

boutique fashion.” King of Vintage, William Banks-Blaney is back to share

his expertise.

As the international undisputed fashion bible Vogue has charted the careers of

fashion designers through the decades. Drusilla Breyfus author of Vogue on Valentino takes a fresh look at the maestro of Italian Couture whilst Charlotte

Sinclair unwraps the world of Gianni Versace in her book Vogue on Gianni Versace

with a window into the Versace lifestyle – the palazzos and parties and celebrity

following.

Eminent historian and dedicated follower of fashion Sir Roy Strong will talk about

his lifelong delight in clothes with Ben Whyman from the London College of Fashion.

Strong has bequeathed his extensive wardrobe to the Fashion Museum where the

talk will be staged. Manager, Rosemary Harden will also be treating the Bath in

Fashion audience to a very personal “behind the scenes” tour to view some of the

100,000 objects which are not on display, ranging from perfectly preserved gloves

from the reign of James I to a collection of hats by Christian Dior worn by prima

ballerina Dame Margot Fonteyn and a pair of pristine shoes by Manolo Blahnik.

The glittering Assembly Rooms will host Bath in Fashion’s 2016 runway shows are

curated by top stylist Rebekah Roy and produced by John Walford, one of the founders of Graduate Fashion Week 25 years ago. The catwalks showing

Spring/Summer ‘16 fashions “reflect the strength of Bath’s retail offer” according to

Sarah Mansfield, Chair of Bath in Fashion. Sarah continued, “Bath is a cosmopolitan city, one of the most stylish and elegant cities in Europe. The

festival brings designers, commentators and influencers from the world of fashion to

the World Heritage City. It is now firmly established on the fashion calendar – a week

to showcase current trends and share inspiration”.

Bath in Fashion is managed and funded by the Bath Business Improvement District in partnership with Bath Tourism Plus and created as collaboration by Bath

businesses to put the city in the fashion spotlight. New for 2016, Bath in Fashion

LIVE maps participating retailers highlighting the best of Bath’s fashion and

accessory scene. Retailers like Jolly’s, one of Europe’s oldest department stores

now operated by House of Fraser will be paving the way with a programme of

engaging and exciting events. Sue James, Editorial Director of Woman & Home will

be in store with her fashion team offering style counsel.

A series of workshops include a Wearable Tech Masterclass and The Royal School of Needlework. Bath in Fashion 2016 is planning another community

crochet project led by local designer maker Emma Leith who will also lead a

hands-on workshop.

Fashion Your Future, gives an insight into roots into fashion, with a panel of experts

chaired by Louise Pickles, who leads the acclaimed fashion design course at Bath

Spa University; Bath in Fashion on Film screens a series of fashion-inspired films

at the Little Theatre Cinema; the BathVA Vintage Fashion Fair takes place on Vintage Sunday at Green Park Station with glam Hollywood hair by Artizan.

The Bath of today was a shaped by extra ordinary imagination, a world class city that

was in the Eighteenth Century both radical and bold. Sarah Mansfield said “For the

21st century this inspiring environment continues to attract inventors, artisans,

entrepreneurs and future-thinkers. It is against this canvas that Bath in Fashion has evolved over the past six years combining the vision of designers with the creative energy of the World Heritage City.”

Bath has been fashionable since the Eighteenth Century, when it was a favourite

with celebrity society; and contemporary Bath supports a vibrant retail scene with a

high proportion of independent fashion boutiques alongside leading high street

fashion brands. Bath’s Fashion Museum holds one of the finest collections of historic

and fashionable dress in the world; and Bath Spa University’s award-winning fashion

design course has developed a reputation for producing highly individual and

creative designers.

Tickets will be on sale from early February. For further information and to register

interest please visit bathinfashion.co.uk.

For media enquiries and images please contact Nicky Hancock on 01225 332299 or

e-mail: {HYPERLINK"mailto:nicky@hancockcomm.com"}

Date: 23 January 2016

AboutTheBathImprovementDistrictCompanyBath in Fashion is a Bath BID (Business Improvement District) Company initiative. The Bath BID Company organises specialist events to raise the profile of the city and attract visitors to support businesses within the city centre. The Bath BID Company acts as a catalyst to creating a fashion event which is distinctive, unique and unlike any other in the UK. With commitment to providing support for the business community, events like Bath in Fashion are born from a collaboration between public and private sector; retailers and landlords and both independent and high street retailers. Visit {HYPERLINK"http://www.bathbid.co.uk/"}