Katherine MacAlister catches up with the Oxford Fashion Week team

With two major shows running here every year, Oxford Fashion Week was as strong as ever. Director Carl Anglim had achieved what he had set out to do – to make Oxford a viable and recognised name in the fashion world while showcasing the city, its upcoming talent and a whole slew of international and local designers to a hungry audience.

With 60 shows using 300 designers under his belt, the question was where could OFW go next?

New York, Paris, London, LA and Houston was the answer to that particular question.

OFW and its intrepid team are showcasing their new collections worldwide under the guise of Oxford Fashion Studio, which has been launched to an appreciative foreign market.

“We have gone from delivering four runway shows in a single venue last season to delivering 16 runway shows in six cities around the world, this season,” Carl says proudly.

Now back, victorious and ready to remind Oxford what it has to offer, OFW is ready to kick off next week, featuring eight events over six days, including a Fashion and Feminism talk with Plum Sykes, a Bloggers Preview Party, a Fashion Illustration workshop with Helen Cauvy Foster, a Ready to Wear Show and the signature Couture Show in support of MND Association, followed by a fundraising reception at Modern Art Oxford.

Concluding with both runway shows at The Sheldonian, where OFW put on its first catwalk show in 2009, it seems a fitting homecoming.

“The Sheldonian Theatre is arguably the most awesome setting of them all,” Carl agrees.

“But rather than spread our content over several smaller sets, we have decided to schedule our designers into two runway shows with both taking place next Saturday,” Carl adds.

With plans for Milan, Berlin, Dubai and Hong Kong in their sights, Oxford Fashion Studio’s ambitions knows no bounds, so catch them in their home city.

Where and when
The Runway Shows: The Sheldonian Theatre
October 31 
Ready to Wear 6pm 
Couture 9pm
oxfordfashionweek.com