Ticket to stride

London Fashion Week will go ahead this week, despite cancellations of shows from designers such as Paul Smith, Nicole Farhi and Katharine Hamnett, as a result of the attacks on New York and Washington. The designers have withdrawn from the event partly to pay respect to the dead, but also because of logistical problems such as the infrequency of flights from and to the US. According to the British Fashion Council, most designers are still keen to present their collections and 61 shows out of 67 will proceed. However, many of the parties have been cancelled.

Yet the work behind the shows remains, proving once again the link between fashion and design. Invitations have been designed and sent out, displaying constant innovation on how to convey information about an event. Using tools such as irony, unusual formats, bold graphics and witty language, they have increasingly become collectible items for the savvy fashion pack. In their constant quest to attract the audience’s attention, designers now look at the medium as an experiment in communication. So expect an invitation to become a biscuit, a limited edition silk scarf, or even a pocket-sized bible. Here is a small selection created for this season’s shows.