Prof. Jimmy Choo’s JCA announces Inaugural London Fashion Week Show which will feature Patrick McDowell and its first graduating MA Designers.

Prof. Jimmy Choo’s Mayfair based JCA | London Fashion Academy announces plans to host its debut London Fashion Week show on the evening of Monday 19th September alongside its Designer in Residence, Patrick McDowell.

Stephen Smith, Founder and CEO of the JCA comments: ‘‘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 ‘Marie Antoinette goes to Liverpool’ collection.’’

Smith Continues, ‘‘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.’’

Taking place across 3 storeys of the JCA’s Grade I Period Building, the show commences at 8.30pm on Monday 19th September before the crowd will disperse into a party that takes place amongst an exhibition of the students work. Showing first, British Fashion Designer Patrick McDowell unveils his latest SS23 collection, merging the uncanny world of Marie Antoinette with his own Liverpudlian background before each MA Student presents their debut collection in the same space.

Patrick McDowell, Creative Director of Patrick McDowell, Designer in Residence and Sustainability Ambassador for the JCA comments: ‘’As designer in residence and sustainability ambassador for the JCA, it felt natural to host my first physical runway post covid in the incredible building me and my team now call home. Supporting creative education is one of my brand’s founding pillars and therefore it is my huge pleasure to share my runway with the amazing JCA MA students who I have had the pleasure of seeing evolve and grow over the past 12 months. For me fashion and the platform it offers is the perfect springboard to further the conversation around inclusivity, sustainability and a better future for us all.’’

Patrick’s show; ’’Marie Antoinette goes to Liverpool’ is a deeply personal expression of who I am and where I come from. In many ways the title reflects my own journey as a queer working class scouser to ‘The cake’; the affectionate term we have given to the incredible 5 story Georgian town house at 20 Hanover square where the JCA is located. Pastel colours and plaster work has been painstakingly restored to its former glory, perfectly setting the scene for our upcoming show.’’

The JCA MA Graduates in Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation include:

– Melissa Kate – A demi-couture label that mixes themes of Hollywood Glamour, rock’n’roll and spirituality to create the look of the modern pin-up.
– Size-A – A uniquely designed label for petite women by Annabelle Barton.
– Maryam Orchid – A young luxury footwear and accessories designer who uses her Caribbean background as a muse to create a couturier aesthetic.
– Angels Wear Nada – an inclusive up-cycled denim brand, collaborative art project and experimental event space founded by Noon Khouri
– Sophie Park – a plant based, designer footwear brand bringing a range of innovative designs and ideas to the market.

Mark Eley, comments: “JCA are delighted to announce the opportunity to showcase the inaugural Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation masters’ graduates at the forthcoming LFW. The first graduating cohort clearly illustrates the diversity and entrepreneurial ambitions of the programme with all 5 designers showcasing a myriad of creative business concepts through their design practice.”

Everything about the 20 Hanover Square, Mayfair Campus has been purposefully planned, from its location next to the Bond Street entrance to the Elizabeth Line through to its on site Atelier Workshops and Design Spaces.

EDITOR’S NOTES:
JCA x Patrick McDowell x MA Show & Party takes place on Monday 19th September, 2022.
Strictly Invitation Only

ABOUT JCA

JCA | London Fashion Academy is a pioneering fashion school and professional incubator founded by Prof. Jimmy Choo OBE and Mr Stephen Smith. It opened its doors in Mayfair in September 2021 to play a pivotal role in re-galvanising London’s fashion community post-pandemic and has been established as Mayfair’s international hub for all those interested in design and luxury brands. Taking inspiration from and disrupting the boundaries from the likes of the V&A, Royal College of Art, Parsons New York and Somerset House, the facility will be more than just an educational academy, providing contemporary co-working spaces for fashion start-ups, gallery and exhibition space and a calendar of networking and fashion-focused events.. Since its opening in September 2021, the school has helped many students launch their projects, like Melissa-Kate, a Master’s student invited to show at the Northern Fashion Week, and Scottish mature student Paul McCann, who has launched his label whilst in the first-year of his degree. It houses a number of professional designers, including its Designer in Residence, Patrick McDowell.

Students and emerging designers can discover more information about the JCA via its website at, www.JCA.ac.uk and via its Instagram handle, @JCALONDON

ABOUT JCA MA Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design & Brand Innovation

The MA Fashion Entrepreneurship in Design and Brand Innovation has been designed with enterprise creation as a central distinctive feature. Students on the course will establish themselves as freelancers or micro-SME’s and will be encouraged to develop a commercial enterprise from the outset.

ABOUT PATRICK MCDOWELL

Based in London, Patrick started his career studying fashion design at Central Saint Martins. Whilst learning his craft Patrick worked at Burberry, working under Christopher Bailey before going on to launch his own brand at London Fashion Week in 2018 with discarded Burberry fabrics and Swarovski crystals. In 2019 Patrick was nominated by Anna Wintour for the Stella McCartney today for tomorrow award. In 2020 Patrick became a Graduate Fashion Week Global Ambassador while also receiving a British Fashion Award nomination. At the beginning of 2021, he was appointed Sustainability Design Director of the Italian womenswear brand Pinko and Sustainability Ambassador for Prof. Jimmy Choo’s newly founded JCA london fashion academy, moving his studio into the Academy as Designer in Residence in 2022.

Patrick has been featured in global fashion press, such as, WWD, Vogue, Dazed and the Guardian to name a few. He is considered a Leading voice on sustainability speaking on many global platforms most notably in summer 2022 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City and the BFC Institute of positive fashion annual meeting. Patrick continues to work across the fashion industry developing Reimagine collections while pushing the boundaries of what sustainable fashion can be in his own name sake collections to reduce fashion’s global impact and supporting his brands three founding pillars: People and the planet, Uplift the queer community, and Support Creative Education.

ABOUT PROFESSOR JIMMY CHOO

Malaysian born Jimmy Choo grew up in a family of shoe designers. From an early age Choo took an interest in creating beautiful shoes, making his first pair at the age of 11 under his father’s guidance. After graduating from the London Technical College in 1983, Choo opened his first shop three years later and subsequently became one of the most successful shoe designers in the world. His unique style and beautiful designs become increasingly popular with high end clients including Diana, Princess of Wales. Jimmy Choo sold his share of the company in 2001 and in 2002, Jimmy Choo was honoured with an ‘Order of British Empire’ to recognise his service to the fashion industry.

ABOUT STEPHEN SMITH, FAUA, MBA (Dist.), PGCE FAHE, BA (Hons,) CEO & FOUNDER

Stephen Smith, has more than 20 years in leadership roles across the public and private higher education sector. During his career, he has undertaken roles such as Head of School, Dean of Faculty, Vice Principal, Provost, Registrar, Managing Director and now CEO. He has worked in large Metropolitan University’s, specialist College’s of Art and Design and international educational institutes of Design. Stephen has worked closely with international, UK and local government to develop and deliver strategies aiming to build a sustainable creative industry. Threading together Stephen’s career is the focus on education and its bridge to enterprise.

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Learn More

@jcalondon
jca.ac.uk

With love,

FWO

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