House of iKons and Cambridge Roar Fashion Show hailed a success
This year's festival presented a fun-filled extravaganza of wining, dining and entertainment at the Quy Mill Hotel and Spa.
Known for its exciting variety of shows and activities, the Roar Festival raises thousands of pounds for three local charities: East Anglian Air Ambulance, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and Cambridge United Community Trust.
The much-loved festival, which ran from June 17 to Saturday, September 30 – where the Grand Finale Fire and Ice Ball brought it to a close – was its biggest and most ambitious to date with day and evening events for sporting fans, fashion fanatics, comedy lovers and glamorous diners.
The House of iKons Fashion Show was among the most exclusive of these events, a stylish catwalk that offered visitors an authentic taste of London Fashion Week.
Eight designers from around the globe exhibited their designs on the catwalk and displayed their clothing lines in pop-up shops, giving visitors a chance to purchase irresistible items.
One lucky guest bought an elegant electric blue gown for the forthcoming Roar Fire and Ice Ball. Visitors were also able to upgrade to a VIP ticket to enjoy front-row seating and a pre-show cream tea before the event.
The catwalk began with designer Nicola Jane exhibiting her ‘post-surgery fashion’ swimwear range, modelled by inspiring women who have undergone mastectomy surgery.
Other designers included Moroccan Hannan El Bou, Filipino Mitch Desunia, Iceland’s Sigrun and Mauritian Shaleena Nowbuth-Boodhun. The diversity of designers and cultural backgrounds behind their designs indicated positive steps towards the company’s ambition to become a global brand.
Savita Kaye, CEO and founder of House of iKons, displayed an undeniable passion for her role in the fashion industry as well as her total support for the designers that took part. When speaking with her, it was clear that fashion wasn’t always her career goal.
“I started in corporate banking and fell into fashion by accident’, she explained. “I started working as a journalist while I was still in banking, covering many events including London Fashion Week in February 2012. I was then head of production for a London Fashion Week event in September 2012.”
It was during this time that Savita saw an opportunity to create her own fashion brand.
“I asked that one key question to all the designers: Why are you spending money doing a fashion show? What guarantee do you have? They said they didn’t have a guarantee – it was simply in the hope of being discovered.
Savita decided to produce her own one-off fashion show in September 2013, which led to one designer being signed by Louis Vuitton and four others nearly selling out.
“I wanted designers to feel they were comfortable, secure and could trust a show to open up doors for them,” she continued. “So I sat my team down, rebranded, re-strategised and came out with the name House of iKons. I wanted to bring about a new generation of iconic designers.”
Since then, House of iKons has been discovered all over the world. In addition to the brand’s role in London Fashion Week and the Cambridge Roar Festival, its shows have taken place in Dubai, Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi and Beijing.
The company has recently collaborated with Budapest Fashion Week.
Although Savita describes working in the fashion industry as very stressful, the creator of Lady K Enterprises made it clear that she thrives in the fashion environment and enjoys seeing the success that is coming out of her shows.
“The designers are amazing. Many have had their designs stocked in department stores around the world, dressing A-list celebrities such as J-Lo and Nicki Minaj,” she said. “One of the designers has even dressed the former first lady Michelle Obama!”
When asked what is to come next for House of iKons, Savita simply stated her goal is for the brand “to grow bigger, better and hit as many cities around the world as possible.”
Among the eight House of iKons and Cambridge Roar Fashion Show designers was Sigrun, whose unique designs told a tale of Nordic mythology as they swept down the catwalk.
Speaking about her designs, Sigrun expressed the importance of her Icelandic heritage and the influence it had on her.
“I wanted to embrace the warrior within us all,” she explained. “I am very in tune with my heritage and the mythology behind it. The oldest way of teaching children is through telling stories and so I wanted to personify nature and emotions to tell my own stories.”
Sigrun exhibited her second collection, a mixture of couture and ready-to-wear clothing. Her designs included prints of glaciers, wolves, ravens, ancient runes and traditional Icelandic symbols.
The designer highlighted her love of finding unusual materials to use in her clothing, such as fish leather, volcanic ash and raven’s wings.
Another highlight of the day was the two amazing performances by Lydia Singer, a major star in the making who recently released her debut EP, Just Being 15.
At just 15 years old, Lydia has an incredible vocal range and has already collaborated with some of the UK’s best musical talents including Rob Davies, who previously worked with Kylie Minogue.
Her distinctive voice and powerful stage presence wowed the audience, perfectly ending a day of inspiring creativity and talent.
Tony Murdock, founder and chairman of the Cambridge Roar, said: “The Fashion Show this year was a great success! It’s one of the more glamourous events we host at the Quy Mill Hotel, as part of the Roar Festival, and offers something rather unique.
“Some of the guests had never been to a fashion show before and commented on what a fantastic day they’d had! This is all part of ensuring we offer a diverse and as wide a variety of events as possible to cater for everyone who comes to the Roar.”
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