Surface: Sep 09: Anniversary Issue

London Calling

Cecile Sinclair
Ph. Tomas Falmer
Stylist: Sara Dunn

Extract from Zinio

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Jourdann Dunn & Naomi Campbell walk Together

A TINGLE went up the spines of London's usually aloof front row yesterday at the Issa show when fashion history was made on the catwalk.

After a show which featured some of the modelling world's biggest names (Frankie Rayder, Chanel Iman and Rosie Huntington-Whitely), it felt like the changing of the guard when, after an all-white finale, designer Daniella Issa Helayel walked down her catwalk flanked by the most successful black model in history -Naomi Campbell - and Jourdan Dunn, the girl touted as the next top black supermodel.

"Words can't describe how it felt to walk down the catwalk with the Daniella and Naomi," an elated Jourdan told us backstage after the show. "I want to relive it all."

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House of Holland After-Party

Jaime Winstone, Pixie Geldof, Daisy Lowe


John & Henry Holland, Agyness Deyn & Alice Dellal


Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Will Young & Andre 3000

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Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief Campaign

Last year, Naomi Campbell was joined by Elle Macpherson, Yasmin Le Bond, and Jodie Kidd for her Fashion For Relief campaign. This year, it is Erin O'Connor and Jade Parfitt who are supporting the supermodel's charity fashion show, which will take place on September 17 during London Fashion Week.

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Mayor urged to withdraw London Fashion Week funding

London Fashion Week could face yet another blow, after Mayor Boris Johnson was asked to withdraw funding following the British Fashion Council's decision to change its strategy over 'size zero'

Dee Doocey, a Liberal Democrat London assembly member, has urged Johnson to pull funding after the BFC was forced to abandon its plans for models to undergo health checks, due to a lack of international support.

Meanwhile, Eleni Renton, founder of Quintessentially Models, has called on the London Development Agency (LDA) to withdraw its £4.5 million grant from this month's event.

"I am sorely disappointed by the decision, it was very weak of the BFC," she told the Telegraph.

"I think the LDA should pull its funding for London Fashion Week. It is totally wrong that public money is funding something that is clearly unhealthy and I have written to the LDA to tell them this."

"Introducing those health checks would have helped in tackling the size zero issue - I find it embarrassing that we are not even giving it a go. Unless the recommendations are actually enforced, they are just gimmicky sound bites."

Cutting funding would spell the latest disaster for LFW, which has already been marred by the BFC's back-down on model health checks, and a fear that the event may overlap with New York Fashion Week. Ironically, the Council of Fashion Designers of America recently announced it would set-up model health booths at New York Fashion Week, after it was criticised for not fully supporting the BFC's guidelines.

"Saying it is unworkable and that other cities wouldn't follow is nonsense. London should be the first city to step up to the plate and do it and then other cities will follow," Renton added.

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Basso & Brooke's Preview For London Fashion Week designs

With preparations for London Fashion Week heating up we couldn't resist sharing with you this peek at Basso and Brooke's forthcoming collection. The label's spring 2009 show looks set to include another high voltage mix of eye-popping prints and fanciful designs - we can't wait!

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Fashion Forward 2008 winners announced

Left to right: Christopher Kane, Erdem, Marios Schwab and Roksanda Illincic, all A/W 08

Congratulations to Christopher Kane, Erdem, Marios Schwab and Roksanda Illincic - winners of this year's Fashion Forward sponsorship.

The British Fashion Council-led initiative offers financial backing to UK designers who have already created a name for themselves at London Fashion Week, but who are still in the early stages of setting up their businesses.

"I am thrilled to have been awarded Fashion Forward sponsorship," said Kane. "This is my fifth catwalk show at London Fashion Week and I am grateful to have their continued support."

This is the second lot of sponsorship for Illincic (A/W 08-9 pictured, right), who added: The attention and feedback that I received from my last Fashion Forward show was phenomenal and I feel extremely lucky to be in a position to enjoy this privilege for the second time."

BFC chief executive, Hilary Riva, noted the international reputation that has already been established for this year's recipients.

"This season's winners already have an international reputation, giving them a firm platform to develop their businesses into influential fashion brands," she said.

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New health rules may turn models off London Fashion Week, says Storm agency boss

Storm modelling agency founder, Sarah Doukas, has warned that the new health rules, as set out by the British Fashion Council's Model Health Inquiry, of which she is a panellist, could turn models off participating in London Fashion Week.

Doukas has told the Sunday Telegraph that the Inquiry's new rule which asks models to offer doctors certificates "attesting their good health", may cause them unnecessary anxiety.

"That is unrealistic. I think they [the certificates] are crazy - not a good idea. It will make some of the girls even more paranoid and freaked out about the weight thing, and they won't come to the UK market, they simply won't come to London Fashion Week. It will keep them away and they will stay in Paris and New York where they don't have to do it," she said.

Doukas, who represents Kate Moss and Jourdan Dunn (pictured above) also sounded off on various other issues in the industry, such as racism... "When Jourdan did the Prada show in Milan this year, she was the first black model to have done Prada in more than 10 years, which is ridiculous. Are clients racist? Well, some of them must be if they are not booking the beautiful black girls, but I can only hope that Jourdan breaking through means that things are slowly starting to change."

On the constant pressure on models to be thin... "Lily (Cole) recently came to me before the shows in Paris and said she was panicked that she wouldn't be able to fit into anything - she is a tall girl with a reasonable hip size. So we called Gaultier, Dior and Lacroix and told them to change the clothes to fit her. And they did. So why can't they do it for the other girls?"
On whether the industry will ever change its attitude to size zero... "Put it this way: not using such thin girls is against the odds and getting attitudes to change is like trying to turn a laden oil tanker in the middle of the Atlantic."

On working with Kate Moss... "She has a huge personality and is, quite simply, the coolest girl on the block. She works damn hard, she never complains about a job and has never conformed to any one style. When you know her well, you realise she is exceptional. There will never be another Kate. Ever."

On Carla Bruni's first modelling job with Kodak... "She was always super smart and sophisticated, but bit of an unknown then, and on the day of the shoot, I remember the president of Kodak turned up and was a bit surprised we didn't have a bigger name for them. Needless to say, by the end of the day, he was smitten, absolute putty. You see, cream always rises to the top."

Read the rest of the article by clicking here.

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