VFS/LFW BUNMI KOKO & SAMANTHA COLE & ZIAD GHANEM

Bunmi Koko AW11 edit from VAUXHALL FASHION SCOUT on Vimeo.



Ziad Ghanem AW11 edit from VAUXHALL FASHION SCOUT on Vimeo.

And here are our takes:

FAB FASHION WEEKEND

SINEM IN THE HOUSE!

Hello FAB People, 

Another Friday, another blog post. However, this Friday is ever so slightly busier for those of us here in London as we prepare to swap the Choos and the Louboutins (Ok ok, perhaps the Barratts and the Aldos!) for running shoes and trek the length of the Strand from one show to the other. 

Let's have a look at my schedule, shall we?

First, I am heading to Tuffnell Park to mingle with the FAB ladies behind WASP - no not White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, the Wardrobe Swap Party. I know, how cool, right?

The Wasparty, organised by the FAB ladies Detola Amure and Ronke Odewumi whom I am hoping to meet tomorrow, is a cloth swapping event organised and held regularly all over London through out the year, giving us ladies a chance to swap clothes in a friendly environment provides and enabling them to de-clutter and upgrade their wardrobe in an environmentally friendly way while also providing them the opportunity to network with like-minded women from all around town. 

Then in the evening I am off to the first LFW show I have on my schedule - Bora Aksu at the BFC Shpw Space. The invite is pretty cool: A little black booklet of with a simple 'You're invited' note on the first page of about 10-15 graph pages - clearly for the more artistically inclined to sketch out the designs. Not for me, then! 

Bora Aksu, my fellow Turk, is the four-time winner of the prestigious Topshop New Generation Award, whose collections have dazzled the likes of Domenico Dolce and Stephano Gabbana who purchased pieces from his 2002 collection as inspirational items and singer Tori Amos who bought the entire Spring Summer 05 Living Waters collection for her Bee Keeper tour.

You can see more from Bora at www.boraaksu.com

BORA AKSU S/S 11

Saturday I am back at the Strand first for Jacob Kimmie's show. The Johannesburg-born designer's work is influenced strongly by his upbringing in apartheid South Africa. (www.jacobkimmie.com) 

JACOB KIMMIE SS11

In the evening the venue is Pierre Garroudi's studio where he will be showing his AW/11 collection. The invites are hot: 

Pierre Garroudi was born in Teheran, Iran. He studied in Paris, while working as a hairdresser in his spare time and moved to New York in 1986. There he joined the Fashion Institute of Technology after working at various retail and design houses, Garroudi started his own label in 1993. For more on Garroudi, visit www.pierregarroudi.com

PIERRE GARROUDI SS 11

Sunday, by far, is the quietest day - for the time being, that is, until a few more invites arrive by post or via email. While we are in for a good time in the morning having our editorial meeting at Lara's place (with pancakes, I am lead to believe... Lara?), the afternoon is bound to be a fashion feast with Kiki Kamanu (www.kikikamanu.com) showing at the Fashion Mavericks. Met Kiki in Lagos in 2009 so it would be great to catch up after the fashion show. 

Monday is back to my trusted Chucks as from early afternoon we'll be rushing to see first Fabryan (www.fabryan.com) at the Fashion Mavericks, then the absolutely FABulous London-based Nigerian designers Bunmi Koko (bunmikoko.com) followed by Samantha Cole (www.samanthacolelondon.co.uk) and the London-based Lebanese designer often referred to as the 'cult couturier' Ziad Ghanem (www.ziadghanem.co.uk) at the Vaxhall Fashion Scout.

FABRYAN

BUNMI KOKO

SAMANTHA COLE

ZIAD GHANEM SS11

Will keep you all posted on the schedule for next week, but now I am off to get some much-required rest before we hit the streets for a fun FABulous fashion weekend!

Stay FAB x