Professor Jimmy Choo's academy to host debut LFW show with Patrick McDowell

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jul 27, 2022

Professor Jimmy Choo’s JCA/London Fashion Academy is to host its first-ever London Fashion Week show on 19 September, along with its ‘designer-in-residence’ Patrick McDowell.

The evening event will include the main show focused on McDowell’s SS23 collection that merges the “uncanny world of Marie Antoinette with his own Liverpudlian background”, before each MA student presents their debut collection in the same space.

The academy, which opened almost year ago is celebrating its first graduating MA cohort since it’s been in the historic building on London’s Hanover Square.

The MA graduates (in Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation) who are showing include: demi-couture specialist Melissa Kate; footwear and accessories designer Maryam Orchid; Annabelle Barton’s petite brand Size-A; inclusive upcycled denim label Angels Wear Nada; and plant-based footwear designer Sophie Park.

JCA’s CEO Stephen Smith said: ‘‘Our upcoming London Fashion Week show is a momentous occasion for us all at the JCA. Since officially opening our doors only one year ago in September 2021 we have nurtured our first graduating MA cohort from our home on Hanover Square. Opening our doors to the public one year on is the perfect moment to celebrate not only the successes of these hugely talented young designers but to also give our designer-in-residence and sustainability ambassador Patrick McDowell a stage within the building that inspired his collection.

‘‘At the academy we professionally incubate our learners as emerging designers. This means that our students will begin their professional lives from the moment they enter the academy, developing their craft by establishing their own brand label, working in professional studios and through exhibiting, showcasing and trading in a luxury Mayfair location. Showcasing at London Fashion Week, and alongside established designers, is a natural extension of that approach.’’