On Friday 13th June, Kinvara Balfour hosted a talk in The Lydia & Manfred Gorvy Lecture Theatre of the V&A Museum, discussing The New British Fashion Superstars of the moment. Held by the V&A as part of a series of evening events, the lecture had a busy turnout despite the sweltering heat. Talents such as Mary Katrantzou, Peter Pilotto, Erdem, Marios Schwab and Jonathan Saunders were discussed in detail, each with a little back-story on their life and what makes them a fashion superstar.

With few of these designers being British-born, it was acknowledged early on that making it as a British fashion superstar requires dedication, sleepless nights and headquarters based in London. After discovering that almost all of the shortlisted designers came from an education at Central St Martins, Caroline Rush, CEO of the British Fashion Council, and Dylan Jones, Editor-in-Chief of GQ Magazine, joined Kinvara on the stage to voice their own views on what it takes. Following the talk came a Q&A session, allowing the audience to pick the host’s brains before they, exemplifying the hectic life of a fashion superstar, graciously dashed off in preparation for London Collections: Men.

Lorna Slessor