Christopher Kane, Victoria Beckham, Kanye West and Alber Elbaz attend the late professor's memorial service
London Fashion Week began in the capital this morning with a touching tribute to the late Central Saint Martins professor Louise Wilson, OBE.
Some of the fashion world’s biggest names including Victoria Beckham, Donna Karan, Alber Elbaz and Kanye West came to London to pay their respects to the influential tutor, who passed away in May last year after a long battle with breast cancer.
Louise’s former students (now some of LFW’s brightest stars) paid tribute to their mentor, with Christopher Kane, Simone Rocha and Roksanda Ilincic delivering readings and taking part in the service.
As director of CSM’s prestigious MA fashion course, Louise’s encouragement of new talent was unparalleled and, to honour her commitment, Central Saint Martins has announced a new MA scholarship programme called Christopher Kane In Memory Of Louise Wilson.
‘Louise Wilson was a dear friend and one of the biggest influences on my life and career. Without her help and guidance I might not be here today,’ Christopher reflected in a statement given before the service at St Paul's Cathedral this morning.
‘The last thing we did together was a talk at the Design Museum. Louise spoke passionately about her views on education. She was a believer in all classes having access to the arts education system and not just the privileged kids. She was very concerned that fashion, especially, would become an obsolete path for the working classes, which is frightening. I hope that Louise’s passion and spirit will live on through scholarships and funding that will help the truly talented get through school. At the end of the day, that was what she was all about.‘