On the eve of London Fashion Week, Harold Tillman's last as chairman the British Fashion Council, the retail mogul paid tribute to the Olympics and thanked the city for giving the five-day catwalk spectacular such amazing act to follow.
"We crafted a plan to be part of it" said the Jaeger boss who worked together with the Olympic organisers to coordinate the mini-catwalk show which featured in the closing ceremony and starred Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell. Tillman, who leaves his post on the council this November after five years of service, said the BFC were "proud to be part of such a momentous occasion".
He went on to praise Samantha Cameron for her continued involvement with British fashion and Boris Johnson who he said, "had smartened up his appearance" during his time as mayor. Tillman has played a pivotal role in London Fashion Week's transformation from a creative vanity project with little government funding to a major global player which is attended by buyers and press from across the world.
"I always felt we were the poor relation" said Tillman who believed the British Fashion Council to be "institutionalised" when he took up the job from Stuart Rose in 2008, "now we're up there on a global platform, what we have is brilliant, beautiful fashion and a British fashion industry with a net worth of £21 billion".
His legacy includes the events relocation from the Natural History Museum to its current location at Somerset House and the China Britain Fashion Alliance - an agreement through which LFW designers benefit from exposure in Beijing.
Tillman who hands over to Net-A-Porter founder Natalie Massenet in November said his replacement would be "brilliant" for the capital's designers.
