While the focus of the catwalk shows may be on young designers this week the limelight has been stolen by two of the grandes dames of British fashion Vivienne Westwood and Zandra Rhodes both urging that fashion should be more ethical.
Vivienne Westwood, always good for an attention-grabbing headline, takes our current fashion belle, the Duchess of Cambridge, to task for wearing 'too many outfits', urging her to put the emphasis on quality rather than quantity.
Her outburst was perhaps prompted by the number of high street stores like Top Shop and River Island running catwalks this year. They have transformed London Fashion Week by introducing wearable designs perfect for transfer immediately to the ready-to-wear market.
Dame Vivienne is quoted as saying 'I don't have any advice for her, except I think it would be great if she wore the same clothes over and again because that's very good for the environment and it would send out a very nice message.'
It might also be the answer to concerns about intrusive photography by the paparazzi since all the photographs would look the same!
Meanwhile, our other 'Queen of Punk', veteran designer Zandra Rhodes yesterday confirmed her partnership with ethical fashion house People Tree. Founder of the Fashion and Textiles Museum, she has created a limited edition range with Safia Minney, CEO of People Tree, a collection of six pieces, including separates and dresses, exploiting the jungle trail print inspired by African flowers she used in her Autumn/Winter collection.
Zandra Rhodes is quoted as saying 'I wanted to work with People Tree because they are ethically aware. Something's got to be done so that we can improve our practices.'
She added, 'I have always loved the idea of my designs being created in organic and Fair Trade fabrics and working with Fair Trade groups, putting people right at the heart of my creations - but where to begin?
Encouraging high street chains not to source their goods from China or other far eastern sweatshops and encourage a revival of the British textile trade that once ruled the world might be a start.
Zandra Rhodes is not showing at London Fashion Week although Vivienne Westwood last night exibited her signature structured dresses and fine tailoring, but both of our 'Queens of Punk' have had a lasting and contuing influence on young London designers.
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