While clothing sponsors (like Topshop and Triumph) have obvious industry synergies with Fashion Weeks, a slew of other major global brands (eg DHL and Mercedes-Benz) place their associations with London Fashion Week (LFW) high up on their marketing priorities.
For brands like Mercedes it is about cool credibility and engaging upscale youthful consumers, while for DHL and Canon there are more directly practical reasons behind their associations.
Indeed, London’s AW 14 Fashion Week saw 5,000 photographers swarm to the UK capital to capture the trends and names that will shape this year’s look.
Part of the reason why just so many snappers flocked to London in February was because, unusually, London Fashion Week (LFW), the BAFTA Film Awards and music’s Brit Awards all took place within one blockbuster week.
This not only shone a seven day spotlight on the UK’s creative industry talent, but also ensured that an unprecedented collection of global stars and celebs were in town at the same time – generating a photographer feeding frenzy.
February saw Canon, the Official Imaging Solutions Partner of London Fashion Week, focus its activation around its own ‘A Year In Fashion’ film.
This brand sponsored documentary celebrates the power of images in fashion.
Presented by blogger Andy Torres, of www.stylescrapbook.com, the film aims to convey the integral relationship between photography and fashion.
Documentary contributors ranged from student photographers entering the industry to established photography big names like Tony Wellington and Clive Booth, plus top designer figures like Henry Holland and British Fashion Council (BFC) CEO Caroline Rush.
‘We are very proud to present the ‘Canon: A Year in Fashion’ documentary to those who share our passion for fashion and the power of image,’ says Canon EMEA communications chief James Leipnik.
‘The new film gives great insights into the creative work that goes on behind the scenes of London Fashion Week and shines a bright spotlight on talented professionals whose work we all admire.’
Comment
This is the brand’s ninth year as a major sponsor of the event and Canon’s objective is initially built on sharing its imaging expertise with the fashion industry by providing dedicated technical support centre for all professional photographers at the LFW Somerset House hub.
The Canon Photographers Centre aims to ensure all accredited photographers have all they need while working at London Fashion Week – from internet access and printing facilities to a dedicated team of Canon support technicians.
Also, as LFW’s Digital Showcasing Partner, Canon screened fashion show content in the Canon Cinema – located in the show main tent throughout the week.
Also, a Canon Bus shuttled photographers between shows to offer a branded utility that ensured their target market didn’t miss any crucial catwalk shots.
Furthermore, 2014 saw Canon work with several designers in the run up to LFW – including projecting designs on to screens at Henry Holland’s catwalk show.
Canon’s ‘Fashion 360° Studio’ at Vodafone London Fashion Weekend took photos of visitors and integrated them into a panoramic 8-second film which can then be immediately shared across social media.
Other activation includes the ‘Shot Like A Pro’ initiative which enables students on the Canon Professional Network programme to shoot catwalk shows and enter their images into the ‘Best Shot’ competition (which offers a Canon Kit as a prize), plus giving the winner of the #CanonFashion competition a full London Fashion Week experience (which includes catwalk passes and a TopShop shopping spree).
Links
Canon LFW Documentary YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCOkQleeUPI
Canon Fashion Website
http://www.canon.co.uk/canonfashion/
Cannon Fashion Twitter
#CanonFashion
Canon & Fashion Website
http://www.canon.co.uk/About_Us/Advertising__Sponsorship/Sponsorship/Fashion.aspx
London Fashion Week Website
