My first real Fashion Week

This season marked an important milestone in my career as a designer: my first-ever proper London Fashion Week exhibiting at Somerset House. It’s taken me a while; I’ve been going to London Fashion Week since 2001, when I was a student at Central Saint Martins working for Marjan Pejoski.  

I’ve waited so long to exhibit at LFW, I’ve been hanging around London for about 11 years now. Don’t get me wrong, it was something I had always planned to do, but making investments in my business was always something I was very precautious about, I was always too scared. I just tried to do everything myself. It’s strange, but despite always having imagined my brand to be an international brand, it took my best friend Leslie’s nagging to get me thinking bigger. 

And so I did, in baby steps. Starting with PR last season (I love my PR so much it’s not even funny) and then this season, exhibiting at London Fashion Week as part of Estethica, the sustainable part of the exhibition at LFW. 

September 14:

First day of LFW! Yay! Already exhausted and we’ve only just begun. Thank God for my intern Rebecca. She came in from Paris just to help me, and she is the cutest thing. We set up for about eight hours yesterday as I couldn’t really decide how to do the layout, and I wanted to bring in my own furniture, but now I am happy with it, and even happier to be here. The location of our space is quite good, next to Auria x Margot Bowman, an ethical swimwear line designed by Diana Auria who is half-Filipino, with prints by artist Margot Bowman. Margot also did the layout of the Estethica magazine, which has my crown on the cover! So pleased. Piers Atkinson popped in to visit, he is such a wonderful person, kind and humble despite all his success. So nice to be friends with fellow milliners! We closed at 7 p.m. today, but I went straight to help Marjan and Sasha to do Front of House for KTZ. Once an intern, always an intern — they are like family to me. Too tired to go to the after-party — my first time to miss it, but alas I have to wake up at 7 a.m.

September 15:

Day 2. Ella and Ash (PRs) came by early and thought the set up was cute. Yaay. Escaped the stall for a bit to check out Charlie Le Mindu’s fashion film with Orsola de Castro who is one of the curators of Estethica. I first met her when I got my British Council award. Love her, such a joy. New and old buyers came by, I always love seeing Tomoko from Beams, she is so cute and I always have to take her picture. Left the stand in Rebecca’s very capable hands to attend the Friends of The Earth Conference to see Vivienne Westwood speak. Was so pleased to see a Filipino woman named Lidy Nacpil speaking before her, she gave a really emotional speech that made me cry. Got to chat with Vivienne outside and was surprised that she knew who I was. She said that she had been meaning to write me a letter. I thought I was going to explode. Had to hug her, hope she didn’t think I was a weirdo.

September 16:

Day 3. Estethica brunch. Lots of friends — Diane Pernet, Susie Bubble, Elgar from i-D, Romain from RA. Always happy to see Diane — she is like my fashion godmother and has always been so lovely to me. Anna Dello Russo came by and was a fashion whirlwind, she sat herself at my dressing table and tried loads of hats on. Happy that she liked them and even walked out wearing one of mine. Milliners like me are so lucky to have someone like her who loves hats and supports what we do. Thank you, Anna! Crazy busy today — it’s exhausting having to give the same speech about your work a million times a day, but it’s got to be done! Was meant to go home and rest before the designers party and the Vivienne Westwood after-party, but ended up falling asleep. Party fail.

September 17:

Day 4. Started the day with the Fred Butler presentation upstairs. Beautiful golden collection! Was happy to see Anna Dello Russo in the LFW Daily wearing my hat. Hurrah! More buyers and more press, more friends — Yu Masui, Dom from Shop, Princess Julia and Josh Quinton. It’s great that everyone swings by as I haven’t had the time to see my friends here yet — I got straight off the plane and went straight to work then got trapped in the land of Fashion Week. Mei Hui Liu, the designer behind Victim Fashion Street, keeps feeding me yummy food. I first met Mei 11 years ago, when she still had her shop on Fashion Street — I ended up living in that same building a few years later. Such a small world. Rebecca and I made a pact that we would go out and party at Fred Butler’s after-party after we went home to rest for a bit. Got home, felt ill, missed the party. Again. Feeling really old.

September 18:

Last day!! I am so tired I am actually grateful that it’s coming to an end. Vic Casim from the Philippine Trade Office came by, he has always been so wonderfully supportive and I am lucky to have become friends with him through the years here in London. William Chambers came in for a chat, another talented and wonderful milliner friend. So nice of them to come visit me even if I am not in Headonism with them all! More friends — including my friend Moo who does the most amazing glasses ever. Photo session with the stand before closing at six, finished packing at 8 p.m. and were the last ones to leave — perils of being just two frail, fragile girls taking down a whole lot of furniture. Exhausted, but really happy. Everything went so well and I am happy I waited until the right time to do it. See you next season!

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Mich Dulce would like to thank the British Council Philippines, British Airways, Velprint, Samsung, HP, MAC Cosmetics, The Philippine Trade Office, The Philippine Embassy in London, Everywhere We Shoot and Inksurge for their support for Mich Dulce Spring/Summer 2013 at London Fashion Week.