Welcome to Downing Street to celebrate London Fashion Week’s finale and 40th anniversary tea — and champagne, obviously, this is fashion after all. The style set nibbled on miniature pastel de nata and smoked salmon sarnies.
The crowd included businesswoman Natasha Poonawalla — a patron of Harris Reed, who hosted Edward Enninful’s post-fashion awards bash in December — and Boris’s little brother, Lord Johnson of Marylebone. There was a well-dressed smattering of the city’s design talent, including Lady Cameron and Anya Hindmarch, Andreas Kronthaler (Vivienne Westwood’s husband), Emilia Wickstead, Ozwald Boateng, Stephen Jones, 16Arlington’s Marco Capaldi, David Koma and Roksanda IlinÄiÄ.
No10 hasn’t hosted the great and glamorous of the fashion industry for a few years. Maggie Thatcher was the first to proffer an invite, back in 1984 when the official LFW event launched. Famously Katharine Hamnett wore her “58 per cent don’t want Pershing” slogan tee. Hamnett — who yesterday shared a video of her hurling her CBE into a wheelie bin in protest over the war in Gaza — did not attend.
The Prime Minister popped in briefly with his wife Akshata Murty (who wore Sam Cam’s label Cefinn — good Tory optics, but a shame she didn’t support a brand which had actually shown at fashion week). Neither were there for the speeches from Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, and David Pemsel and Dame Caroline Rush from the British Fashion Council. Maybe Rishi Sunak was worried about too much scrutiny over the length of his trousers.
The duo had hosted a lunch with a selection of business leaders including the shoe designer Camilla Elphick (Mrs Sunak ordered a pair of shoes), founders of the sustainable underwear brand Stripe and Stare, and the jewellery label Missoma.
In Frazer’s speech she praised the creativity of the industry and the global recognition of British fashion. She mentioned Foday Dumbuya, marking 10 years of his label Labrum, and Chet Lo. Both were recipients of the 30-year-strong New Gen scheme, which the Government pledged £2 million last September in support (“for the Alexander McQueens of the future”).
Dame Caroline implored Frazer to support fashion businesses with international trade and to reinstate tax free shopping for tourists to help struggling retailers. Everyone nodded. Frazer offered a rictus grin.
One civil servant had perhaps quaffed a little too much champers or was just demob happy. When asked about working with their minister, they pulled a face, grimacing “no comment” before shouting with a wink over their shoulder, “there’s an election soon!”
