Yang Du.

 

Du Yang is an emerging designer from Dalian, North China but currently based in London. She graduated from both the BA and the MA at Central Saint Martins and has gained work experience at Vivienne Westwood, Giles Deacon and John Galliano.

 

 

The designer started her own label ‘Yang Du’ in 2009 and has presented her collections at London Fashion Week ever since. Despite showing her S/S 2010 collection on the runway with On|Off she mainly presents her work to the world’s media and buyers through a look book or exhibition. Her style is fun, quirky and humorous and she is also said to blur the lines between fashion and art.

 

 

Boudicca.

Boudicca is a fashion design duo consisting of Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby. They both graduated from the BA Fashion Design course at Middlesex University in 1997. They are considered to create pieces of art through their fashion design. They’re goal is, “to forge the identity of a future of design that is not just about making clothes, but the craftsmanship” (Broach, 2006). 

  
They have previously shown their work at the V and A and were the first British design house to be invited to create an haute couture collection in Paris. Their individual perfume, Wode by Boudicca, shows their creativity and ability to think outside the box as it was available in both a scent and a paint. The paint appears as a deep blue colour when sprayed onto the skin.

 "Mind-boggling—in a good way" Anon, style.com

Fashion East.

What are they?

 

Fashion East is a non-profit initiative established by the Old Truman Brewery in 2000 to nurture emerging young designers through the early stages of their career. The organisation receives sponsorship funding from Topshop, TOPMAN and The London Development Agency.

 

At what stage do they help you?

Within 3 years of starting your own business.

 

 Key figures…

Brix Smith-Start 
Owner of Start Boutique, London

Charlie Harrington
Fashion Director Stella / Sunday Telegraph

Charlie Porter 
Freelance Journalist

Francesca Burns 
Fashion Editor, Vogue UK

Harriet Quick 
Fashion features Director, Vogue UK

Kay Barron 
Fashion Features Editor, Harper’s Bazaar

Lauren Cochrane 
Freelance Fashion Writer

Richard Sloan 
Creative Consultant / Stylist

Sarah Mower 
Contributing Editor, Vogue USA and Style.com

Hugo Scott 
Head of European Operations, Marc Jacobs

Lulu Kennedy is the director of Fashion East and editor-at-large at Love magazine. She has been awarded an MBE for fashion services and is known as the Fashion Fairy Godmother.

Kennedy launched an eponymous clothing label Lulu & Co, which brings together some of the enterprise's alumni and creates their designs in a more accessible, affordable way. Not quite as mass market as a high-street collaboration, Lulu & Co provides a middle ground of commercialisation that appears to benefit all parties.

What do they give you?

The organisation provides the opportunity to present a catwalk collection to the international press and buyers attending London Fashion Week. Designers receive a bursary, free venue and complete catwalk show production, professional catwalk photographs and video. Designers are also given mentoring, guidance and in-house PR throughout the season from Lulu Kennedy and her team.

They also take designers to a sales show room in Paris each season, giving them the opportunity to showcase their collections to top international buyers.

 

Who they helped?

Previous Fashion East designers include, Richard Nicoll, Holly Fulton, Jonathan Saunders, House of Holland, Gareth Pugh, Marios Schwab, Louise Goldin, Roksanda Ilincic and Meadham Kirchhoff.

The designers for this season are, Ashley Williams, University of Westminster graduate who had Pixie Geldof and Alice Dellal walk in her graduate show, Claire Barrow and Ryan Lo.