Last November we did a trip to London with university (I study Fashion Buying & Merchandising in Manchester) where we visited the Balenciaga Exhibition at the V&A, Diesel’s headquarters as well as the M&S head offices where we spoke to their buyers and product developers. I’ve always loved London and it was a fun trip; we went on a night out to Cirque le Soir, saw the Oxford Street life switch on with Rita Ora and went out in Soho at night..but in this post I’m going to focus more on the exhibition and fashion side.
The Balenciaga Exhibition examined the work and legacy of Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga with over 100 pieces crafted by the master of couture and his contemporary fashion designers working in the same innovative tradition.
Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895-1972) was one of the most influential designers of the 20th century and was known as the master of haute couture. He set the tone of modern fashion through his craftsmanship and use of fabrics which revolutionised the female silhouette.
This was my first time visiting the V&A in London and I would recommend visiting if you ever have the chance – they have quite a few fashion exhibitions throughout the year so it’s worth looking out for what’s on. I felt that I learnt a lot and got a really good insight to Balenciaga’s work and how inspiring he was to other designers and to the people of the 20th century. It also made me see Balenciaga as a brand in a different light; I was able to understand the history and development of the brand and how it became what it is today through the work and experimentation of Balenciaga himself – Balenciaga now is obviously very commercial and very bold, so the history and intricate details were interesting to see.
The V&A collection includes examples from revolutionary shapes from the designers golden age; the 1950’s and 60’s such as tunic, sack, baby doll and shift dresses- all of which remain style staples today.
I couldn’t actually take any pics in the headquarters of the Diesel HQ and M&S but both were interesting visits and it was good to speak to their buying teams as I’ve never actually had the chance to meet buyers working in industry. Diesel had a guy who looked after us for the few hours we were there and he was this super friendly charismatic guy and he made the whole thing really fun. They had this amazing showroom (sad I didn’t get any pics) and we watched a few videos on the brand and their current campaign which was all really interesting to see as it’s not a brand I’d ever really shop at.
The M&S visit was less interactive but still a good experience visiting their headquarters and here we sat in a meeting room and were given the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about individual roles in the company and how they differ.
We spent a lot of our time in London doing our own thing (this was great as I was with my 4 uni friends the whole time) but we did actually learn a lot and I did find it beneficial – if you’re looking to go into a head office fashion role then I’d definitely recommend trying to get into a head office or speaking to someone in industry as it’s useful for gaining an insight knowledge and deciding what sector you’d like to be a part of 🙂
Millie Violet : Fashion & Lifestyle 