Amex London Fashion Week Foursquare/FashionInsiders

The second season of American Express’ multi-year partnership with the British Fashion Council (BFC) sees the Official Card Partner of London Fashion Week (LFW) spearhead its card members special access and event services programme through its on-site concierge team (for attendees) and Foursquare (for consumers).

Amex premium members gain exclusive access to a series of special events throughout London Fashion Week, and the brand’s ‘Fashion Insiders’ concierge team was on-site to cater for member needs to maximise their LFW experience.

Card members could sign up via the brand’s website or its Facebook page (or at the event) and receive services that ranged from providing advice on designer show schedules and retail events, transport and navigation tips and even helping members’ book tables at London’s best restaurants or find phone charging points.

The objective, as with most of American Express’ alliances, was to enhance and add value to its members’ experience of LFW.

This year saw its ‘Fashion Insiders’, who are based throughout Somerset House with a hub in Seamen’s Hall, wearing the latest colour block trend with outfits designed by Irish designer Jonathan Saunders (this follows a 2012 collaboration between the brand and LFW designers Roksanda Ilincic and JW Anderson).

Equipped with iPads, phone and a wealth of insider knowledge, the Amex Insiders aim is to make Fashion Week that bit easier for card members.

American Express also partnered with fashion blogger DisneyRollerGirl who created a series of sponsored posts for the brand that offered an independent, expert insight into LFW.

The brand itself also provided news, views and tips through its Twitter feed using the hashtag #AmexLFW for fashionistas on the go.

Another mobile-led strand to its LFW campaign was its Foursquare retailer discount initiative.

The roots of this programme go back to September 2012 when the payments brand collaborated with a high end fashion retailer Harvey Nichols around LFW via a Fouresquare check-in and save scheme.

The joint geo-location campaign enabled card holders to sync their card with Foursquare and then those that checked in at the premium Knightsbridge department store received a £25 voucher if they spent £25 or more.

This Foursquare partnership was extended to LFW A/W 2013 by connecting the shows to the high street by offering card members who have synched their cards to the scheme to further exclusive deals (£25 back on £50 spent) when checking in to Foursquare at fashion retailers Banana Republic, Gap, Harrods and House Of Fraser

The payments brand’s LFW work builds on its wider, global fashion heritage which spans New York Fashion Week and both designer initiatives and premium retailer relationships.

Late last year American express also activated at LFW through its collaboration with The Green Carpet Challenge and the BFI on the ‘Green Cut’ initiative – which pairs eight fashion designers with eight famous British movies to try and raise awareness of a more sustainable and ethical approach to fashion.

Designers such as Antonio Berardi and Roksanda Ilincic created bespoke pieces which themselves each offered a contemporary take on a classic film (from The Red Shoes to My Fair lady). The collection was unveiled on the eve of LFW at Somerset House and then on display as part of The Exhibition.

‘American Express has a long standing history of supporting both the fashion and film industries through its affiliations with the likes of London and New York Fashion weeks and the Tribeca, London and Sundance Film festivals,’ said Amex VP Of International Premium Products and Experiences Lisa Gregg.

‘Green Cut project is a natural extension of our ongoing work with Green Carpet Challenge and further underscores our shared vision to continue to raise awareness of important sustainable issues among the influential fashion industry and beyond. We are confident this project will continue to generate dialogue about sustainability – an important issue which requires our continued focus.’

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Amex’s commitment to mobile and social platforms reflects LFW’s major push into the social media and digital worlds. Indeed, the BFC made a strong statement that 2013 would be the start of the digital revolution for fashion in this country and that LFW would be the starting focal point for this change.

This saw the BFC partner with YouTube to live-stream 21 of the on-schedule catwalk shows through the LFW channel.

A host of designers also used LFW to innovative with original ways of providing detailed, intimate and personal fashion experiences.

For example, the new Twitter video app Vine was widely used by designers such as Burberry, Matthew Williamson, Topshop, Jonathan Saunders. Paul Smith collaborated with artist and filmmaker Kate Moross on a series of six-second Vine clips a teasers Smith’s LFW show, while Matthew Williamson linked with photographer Sean Cunningham who shot Williamson’s collection using Vine and then posted the clips immediately before the start of the catwalk show using both the Twitter feed #MatthewMagnifield and via Facebook.

Digital fashion pioneer Burberry again live-streamed its show on its own website,

with viewers able to ‘click-to-buy’ direct from the catwalk and personal the products,

as well as accessing behind-the-scenes video and share their experiences across their own social networks.

Both Williamson and Burberry released their catwalk show soundtracks on Spotify.

LFW also saw designer Henry Holland of House of Holland partner with Cancer Research UK on a capsule collection sold only through online auction site eBay.co.uk with proceeds going to to the charity.

While UK high street fashion behemoth Topshop launched collaboration with Google+ which enabled online viewers to experience the catwalk show as if they were their live.