Last night MyDaily was pleased to launch our first panel discussion as part of MyDaily Presents with some of the British fashion's most innovative and creative thinkers. Joined by MyDaily contributing editor Mary Katrantzou, Love magazine's Alex Fury, and A-list fashion bloggers Sasha Wilkins of Liberty London Girl and Melanie Rickey of Fashion Editor at Large, MyDaily editor Libby Banks quizzed them one everything from the high street copycats to the role of the catwalk.
Watch our video of last night's highlights - and read our favourite quotes from the evening below:
On the role of the catwalk now:
Mary Katrantzou: "it's your chance to get people to react emotionally, but I think it gets lost in the pictures. The Intricacy of the garment is not present. To someone who's not there, they can't read the depth or the intricacy of the work. They don't see the full picture. It's Important to create a show for the people there, and I think you can do the hoo-hah in different ways."
Alex Fury: "It's about the art of looking at things. There are people sat a show seeing completely different shows. You've got to think about the way the world is conceiving your work"
Sasha Wilkins: "At some shows, I feel like I'm watching a very expensive video"
On celebrities at fashion week:
Sasha Wilkins: "I hate celebrities at fashion week - and I hate that we have to wait for them."
Alex Fury: "unless it's Tina Turner".
Mary Katrantzou: "It's a competitive business where advertising is so key. I don't think celebrities are as applicable to LFW, it's about the mega brands. Keira Knightley is when I first experienced the power of the celebrity. People were so afraid of print on the red carpet and she wore it in a very elegant way. The exposure is still there and you can't control who's going to buy what you create".
Alex Fury: "It's a disconnect for me. I don't want to be looking at the celebrity on the front row - I want to be looking at the clothes."
On high street copies:
Mary Katrantzou: "I don't think we've reached that point where we become too accessible. We get caught up on what kind of reach we've had when in reality, that reach is minute. I still feel like I'm in control. There is a sense of flattery in being copied and then there's a sense of injustice when the dress is obviously not so good. But you're just one of so many brands being copied, we wouldn't have the resources to do anything about it. I hope and I still think it doesn't devalue the collection in any way."
MK: "I want to own my designs and I want people to know that at a wider reach, which is why we did Topshop so close to the show. Someone like Topshop has the power to control the copying issue."
The new fashion cycle
Alex Fury: "it's weird that it's four seasons now. There's not only a demand for product but also a demand for images.
Melanie Rickey: "Runways become entertainment and pre and cruise are the things we actually buy and wear."
Mary Katrantzou: "Editorial work becomes more and more important as its more curated and controlled. We've not done resort - we don't have the resources and we don't want to spread our ideas and have no real anticipation. I think there needs to be a bit more thought there. I'm lucky that we sell a big proportion of the show so it don't feel like you're doing it in vain."
Print media vs the internet
Alex Fury: "Your mind automatically thinks differently when you're dealing with a physical object. There's a world of differences between them."
Sasha Wilkins: "I can't remember what it was like to work as a journalist without the internet. Everything is so present. You can't really edit fashion anymore because everyone has access to anything."
Alex Fury: "The fashion editor now is a curator. It's very difficult to be objective in fashion. With blogs, it's much more about what I like"
The role of the magazine now
Alex Fury: "It's a precious object. How big is this going to be? What's on the cover, what paper is it going to have? It still has to feel relevant in 10 years."
Melanie Rickey: "It's a snapshot of time. The Internet doesn't even have time to become paper - it's so transient. That said, I still think that fashion now lives and breathes on the internet, but magazines are the icing on the cake."
Alex Fury: "Intelligent magazines are offering something you can't get online, that's unique and tailored to them. They shouldn't try as be a website because they're not".
See the night in pictures (including our awesome Karl Lagerfeld cake pops!)