Yesterday's announcement by Sir Philip Green, owner of TopShop and a major sponsor of young designers at London Fashion Week, that he wants to set up "incubator stores" to foster new fashion talents and keep them at home and thriving, is an indication of new and forward thinking in British retail.
With a flagship store due to open in Manhattan and others on the way in India, Hong Kong and China, TopShop is capitalising on British design talent globally. Most of those sponsored produce inexpensive lines for the chain.
As the week drew to a close, one of the more outlandish collections was provided by Sunderland-born Gareth Pugh, known for a ghoulish vision (he has dressed Marilyn Manson) and whose extreme fashion, though extraordinary in construction, tends to have visual rather than commercial power. His followers - clubbers, transvestites, art students and other trendies - turned out in force for the show in the former Old Truman Brewery in Brick Lane.
His theme was Tomb Raider meets Dorothy in Oz and he sent out a terrifying Gothic army of white-faced, leather-helmeted women in Samurai-style armour constructed of millions of silver safety pins and zips. Other conceptual items that had the audience howling with delight were patent leather jackets peaked into cube shapes and chubby black coats quivering with rubber bobbles.
A villainous circular black skirt with shaggy goat hair was more Cruella de Vil than high street, and arched shoes without heels showed his mischief afoot.
Inspired by horror movies, Giles Deacon's collection had a lot more allure despite the models' netted faces, a chilling styling touch. Deacon's fantasies, particularly his romantic dresses, had more individual appeal than his couture satin suits with puffed-out frontage. A billowing grey silk dress with sueded bodice, a midnight blue number with cut-out stars and two flame red dresses composed of layered tulle were just a few of the evening's show stoppers along with silken cobwebby crochets.
After all this fantasy, Margaret Howell's simple, unfussy show had a Zen-like quality, free of the week's ubiquitous crystal décor. There's a touch of Hermès about Howell's garçonne style, using handsome English tweeds and tailoring in a well-bred but low-key way with saddlery belts and riding boots the only requisite accessories.