British Waiting For the Rebound

LONDON — The bad times are over for Britain’s women’s wear industry. The question is when the good times will arrive.

British designers and retailers are guardedly optimistic about the future now that the economy is emerging from the worst British recession since World War II.

There is an increasing buzz around London fashion, generated by such new designers as Abe Hamilton, Xavier Foley, Sonnentag Mulligan, Bella Freud and Clements Ribeiro.

Designers also are more confident about their prospects now that British manufacturers and retailers are strengthening their links with them. They are being asked to design private label collections for stores, do special collections under their own names or act as consultants. Some stores — such as Liberty and Harvey Nichols — even are going as far as buying fabrics for young designers to enable them to do a collection.

The key now is to turn the buzz into business.

British designers continue to struggle with financing and production problems and even the industry association, the British Fashion Council, was barely able to arrange London runway shows for this season because of a lack of money.

Only after Vidal Sassoon and Perrier stepped in with financing were the shows scheduled. They will be held Feb. 23-26.

While more and more U.S. buyers are coming to London to check out the mood, this remains an item market for them. The main categories are eveningwear from such designers as Tomasz Starzewski, Amanda Wakeley, David Fielden, Ben de Lisi and Bellville Sassoon; knitwear from Marian Foale and Artwork, and accessories from Philip Treacy, Anya Hindmarch and Georgina von Etzdorf. Designers admit it will be some time before American retailers significantly increase their buying from London.

Continental Europe also remains difficult because the French, German and Italian economies are in turmoil and the women’s wear industries in those countries dwarf the U.K.’s.

On the British retail front, there are no signs of a major upturn in women’s apparel. According to the British Fashion Council, women’s wear sales at retail were worth about $17.4 billion in 1992, the most recent figures available. This is less than 1 percent ahead of 1991 and represents a decline after accounting for inflation of 2 to 3 percent.