Fashion week might be an endless parade of parties, paparazzi and freebies for some, but it's a different story for the people running the show. In our fashion week blogger series, industry insiders tell us what it's really like to be a part of the fashion week whirlwind.
Maki Aminaka and Marcus Wilmont talk us through their day at London Fashion Week.
After a late night in the studio on Thursday night we both wake up with a nervous excitement, coffee is essential!
The tigers get their feed before we leave for the studio; it was such a lovely crisp, clear morning so we walked to our studio in Whitechapel.
Coffee is on again as our employees start to arrive. There is a real buzz in the air on the morning of a show; everyone is excited and enthusiastic about how it will work out.
Showing on the opening day has a great feel; there is a great energy in the air. Everything feels fresh. Backstage is always a bit crazy, there are models, hair and makeup artists, photographers and film crews all running around, but it's a great positive feeling. The BFC show space is beautiful. This season we felt the space was perfect for our collection, with a stony, washed grey colour on the runway.
Our collection was called 'Totem'. The inspirations were tribes and totem poles, and animal furs, skins and hides. This season we worked with stylist Pandora Lennard, it was the first season we had worked with her, she was fantastic, a real inspiration for us. Our models had amazing yellow contact lenses, a perfect match for one of our prints called 'Reptilian', with braided plaits in their hair – like scales. The shoes were created with the help of one of our employees – Merv, she helped us to make them look like tough animal skin, wedged boots, both knee and ankle high. We also worked with jewellery designer Bjorg, amazing animal inspired jewelley, with rib cage ribs and bird skull earrings, it was a perfect fit with our prints and leather jackets and coats.
Tony & Guy were our hair stylists; they gave us dry shampoo for our goody bags (Maki LOVES the dry shampoo!). Karina Constantine, an amazing make up artist, was responsible for our make – up, using Lancome this season. The models were stunning, eerie and a bit spooky, but very cool. We were so lucky that we were also able to work with N'Applique. An amazing nail wrap treatment, they made nail wraps in an exclusive Aminaka Wilmont print! Amazing – we also had these in our goody bags, they went down a storm with our guests at the show.
Then it's show time! When the lights go down and the music starts, that's it – you realise that all the work over the last few months is walking down the runway. Our music this season was quite fierce and bold, we used music by UNKLE and Kraddy which we felt was a great match for our collection, it felt more tough and raw, with wedged knee high and ankle boots. We wanted to show the British fashion industry who the Aminaka Wilmont woman is. For us she is determined and confident with her own individuality and uniqueness. As our 7th season on schedule, we know the direction that we are moving in, this was what we wanted to come across in this collection.
The show was amazing, we had a full audience and some great reviews, everyone was buzzing. Backstage after the show was madness again, more TV crews, more photographers, and everyone just wants you to get out of there!
That night we partied in Mayfair at Jean Pierre Braganza'a party, befor collapsing in a heap back at home for a much need weekend of doing absolutely nothing! We had a lot of family staying so the flat always feels quite full, but with family all over the world it's great to have everyone together.
On Sunday night we had dinner with everyone who helped us to contribute to the collection, we cooked Japanese food – a Japanese curry and takoyaki – fried batter balls with squid and chilli, delicious! It was great to have a weekend of relaxing before we take our collection for sales in Paris in March!
Bring on spring/summer 2012!