'(14 Jul 1998) English/Nat London is on its way to becoming a menswear mecca. That\'s the hope of British designers at the start of the first ever London Men\'s Fashion week. Until now, British designers have had to show their menswear in Milan and Paris. The show highlights London\'s growing importance as a fashion centre, and indicates how British men are becoming more stylish. British men have never been particularly renowned for their sense of style. But these days London is increasingly becoming the place to be for fashion conscious males. Tuesday saw the launch of London Men\'s Fashion Week - a show designed for up and coming designers rather than the more established. Den Odimah was one of the first designers to show his collection, a combination of classic suits topped with a touch of the American west. The show is the brainchild of John Rowley who sees it as a showcase for young British talent. SOUNDBITE: \"Milan and Paris have and also America have ruled the roost for many many years, more so Milan and Paris and we felt because of this brain drain, ie designers being poached on a regular basis, that what we needed to do was have a catwalk presentation together with an exhibition that is compatible with Milan and Paris. SUPERCAPTION: John Rowley, co-founder and managing director of London Men\'s Fashion Week British menswear has long been known for its rather staid and traditional look. But it is in fact painstaking tailoring, classic design and quality fabric which is Britain\'s real selling point. And the young and stylish are choosing this classic look over the sporty casual image. On Saville Row, the centre of London\'s traditional tailoring, a quiet revolution is occurring. Once the preserve of crusty old men in search of made to measure pinstripe suits, today\'s customers include pop starts, actors and designers who are in search of a sharper image. The new look is being provided by a new generation of designers now working in tailoring. Richard James is one of the new-style tailors to hit Saville Row. His suits are bought by the likes of Elton John and Oasis. SOUNDBITE: \"What we\'ve managed to do is make it much more assessable to a much younger clientele, we get people who work in music, advertising, architecture, creative industries like that where you don\'t have to wear suits as a uniform for work, but choose so because they want to, it\'s desirable.\" SUPER CAPTION: Sean Dixon, managing director of Richard James To coincide with the launch of men\'s fashion week, designer Margaret Howell launched her collection in her newly-opened store on Saville Row. Now the industry is hoping the spotlight on men\'s fashion in London will encourage more people to invest in fashion here. SOUNDBITE: \"Well it\'s significant because it\'s the first time that anyone has put any money into organise anything to show off the menswear designers which is what Britain is supposed to be known for - menswear - that\'s why we have groups from England which start trends worldwide from Oasis, the Rolling Stones to the Beatles, something which the British per se are known for - starting trends for men - and no-one has addressed it.\" SUPER CAPTION: Chris Sullivan, style Editor for GQ Magazine British designers are recognised as being some of the trendy and most innovative when it comes to the youth market. And fashion watchers believe London could well become one of the major centres for men\'s fashion. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/5b8fd7ef05fe0ce556f32e22df8a46a4'
Tags: Lifestyle , london , england , united kingdom , Western Europe , AP Archive , Arts and entertainment , elton john , 84109 , 5b8fd7ef05fe0ce556f32e22df8a46a4 , UK LONDON MEN'S FASHION WEEK KICKS OFF
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