British Fashion Council Celebrates 2012 Olympics with Fashion and Art Collusion

To celebrate the year of London's hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the British Fashion Council (BFC) has announced plans for its artistic project "Britain Creates 2012: Fashion & Art Collusion".

In partnership with the Mayor of London, the event is a unique opportunity to celebrate and strengthen the longstanding relationships between fashion designers and visual artists.

Iconic British designers have paired together with top contemporary artists including Giles Deacon and Jeremy Deller; Hussein Chalayan and Gavin Turk; Jonathan Saunders and Jess Flood-Paddock and Mary Katrantzou with Mark Titchner.

From June 21 to Sep 9, 2012, the event will be a part of the London 2012 festival, bringing together leading artists from across the world with the very best from the UK. The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a celebration of excellence and performance and these partnerships have reportedly been commissioned to create pieces of work to reflect these special values.

"2012 is such a momentous year. The Britain Creates 2012: Fashion & Art Collusion project to celebrate the London 2012 Festival is the perfect opportunity to showcase unique talent within the UK in the creative industries and echoes the special relationships within. The pieces of art and accompanying book will leave a great legacy to reflect on this special year," stated Harold Tillman CBE, Chairman BFC.

The specially created exclusive pieces will be unveiled on June.27, 2012 at a VIP Gala fundraising event at the historic setting of the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich before going on display at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

"As London Fashion Week has just shown, our designers are a tour de force whose talent is important for our economy and the capital's reputation around the world. As one of the greatest centers for culture and creativity, London is the proud home to some of the best designers and artists in the world and this melding of two dynamic strands will produce an exciting exhibition that will be a highlight of our celebrations for 2012," said the Mayor of London Boris Johnson.

Apart from this, the Arts Council England also provided support for the commissioning of this project in addition to individual donors.