Working Backstage At London Fashion Week

With my new positive outlook on life, and with London Fashion Week coming up, I thought I would take a chance and see if I could get an internship working backstage. I emailed the studios and pr companies and was lucky enough to be asked to dress for two designers, Osman and Ashish. Both designers have very different aesthetic, but both I greatly admire. Osman has a real delicate touch when it comes to feminine silhouettes, and Ashish is all about mixing the feminine with streetwear, and I'll be shocked if I didn't see any sequins! Even though I have dressed for fashion shows before (Nottingham Degree Show and Graduate Fashion Week), there was still this bit of nervousness coming from dressing for LFW. I think I was filled with excitement more though.

DAY 1 - OSMAN

This started on an early Monday morning trip to their London studio. Filled with patterns, fabrics and a beautiful view of the London Eye, I was in awe. The call time to the venue wasn't for a few more hours, so I helped around the studio with final fittings and delivering items to the venue. We were the only show at Tate Britain that day so there was a calm and relaxed atmosphere. There were 3 separate rooms, one for dressing, one for make-up, and the other for hair. I took a little walk around to see what was going on and it really got me eager for the show. As the garments came in, they were hung on the rails around the room, with the 4 quick changes hung up outside. I absolutely love this collection! The looks were split into white, red and black, which created such an impact during the finale. Garments were steamed and rolled, while the models did their walkthrough in their shoes. I loved their new take on the shoes and socks combination. It's not the usual way you'd expect because the socks were cut off halfway across the foot. I was in charge of dressing three models, one was the gorgeous beaded gown. Once all the models were dressed, they were lined up ready for the show, with make up and hairstylists giving their final touch-ups and photographers taking their backstage shots. As the show started, I waited by the quick change rails and watched as the models went out. The quick change was pretty simple, and once the final model was dressed, we watched the screens to see the finale and applause as Osman went out.

DAY 2 - ASHISH

The show took place at the Tate Britain again, but with two shows showing that afternoon, it was a lot more hectic. The outfits were all hung on the railings, with each model having an outfit change. The collection was all about the details; distressed denim with corset style ties and studs, oversized fur coats and of course sequins. I did notice the endless pairs of red knee-high boots, which got me a little worried about how this quick change was going to go. I was paired with the lovely Lauren from Fashion Expedition. We pre-tied the boots so we wouldn't have to worry about it during the change, and planned which order we would remove and put clothes on. Ashish also came around to talk through the looks to make sure we knew exactly how everything went on. The models looked amazing! They each had their own coloured fringe extensions, as well as customised designed red nails. Photographers and press from magazines, newspapers and blogs filled the room; it was such a great atmosphere. We got the model in her first look, and as the show started, the dressers stood by their rails ready for the outfit change. As our model came running through the door (no idea how she does it in heels, I can barely walk in them), we both worked on a leg each to remove the boots and loosen the ties on the denim. With a little help from the Ashish team, we managed to do the change in time. The room again was filled with final applause as the models walked back in. As the final show at London Fashion Week, it was a great way to end.

After both shows, I'd rush back home to watch the shows back and look through all the pictures. Even though these internships were pretty short, I think it was the inspirational experience I needed. I love the whole journey from initial research ideas, to design, to manufacture, to live show, but there's nothing that feels as amazing as seeing your designs walking down the runway. You get such a buzz.