Tom Ford, Rihanna Lead London Fashion Week Lineup

By SYLVIA HUI

LONDON (AP) ⿿ Once the most marginal of fashion capitals, London has finally grown up to be a style force to be reckoned with.

So say the organizers of London Fashion Week, which opened Friday with a buzz of anticipation for a blockbuster season of shows ⿿ one of the event's biggest lineups yet.

For the first time, celebrity designer Tom Ford is staging a womenswear catwalk show in London, while singer Rihanna has created a stir with her debut fashion collection to be shown on Sunday.

Those are major coups for the British capital, which has devoted increasing attention to its fashion industry ⿿ a 21 billion-pound (US$33 billion) business that is getting growing global recognition.

"We've already cracked the hard part. We have the talent," said Natalie Massenet, the British Fashion Council's new chairman and the American founder of online retailer Net-A-Porter. Her job, she said, was to capitalize on that to make London "the most exciting fashion capital in the world."

While major players like Burberry, Mulberry and Vivienne Westwood still lead the British fashion scene, the most closely-watched design heroes of the moment ⿿ the ones gushed about from New York to Paris ⿿ are all under 40 years old: Christopher Kane, Mary Katrantzou, Erdem. And they are just the most recognizable names among more than a dozen ambitious, emerging talents that have put London on the international style map.

"The buyers who come to London don't go to just one or two shows ⿿ they go to nearly every show, every day. You miss the show, you miss the hot new trend," said Caroline Rush, the British Fashion Council's chief executive.

Plenty of that talent was on show on Friday. Bora Aksu, the Turkish designer based in London, showed off a collection that contrasted tough leather with romance and ethereal silhouettes.

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