The UK is home to the world's third largest fashion industry, Milan and Paris are one and two. In 2009, UK consumers spent 46 billion pounds on clothing and footwear and another 7.3 billion pound in overseas sales were reported. That is a total contribution of 53.3 billion pounds to the economy, which makes custom printed clothing and footwear one of the largest industries in the UK.

Designer labels are a rapidly growing segment of the clothing industry. Sales of 450 million pounds made 2009 a stellar year for upscale lines. The biggest date, or dates for designers is the famous London Fashion Week, which is held each year in late September.

What is it? London Fashion Week is a showcase for the world's best designers. Both established names and rising stars are invited to show off their new designs. At the last London Fashion Week, 59 shows were scheduled over six days. Full presentations were made by twenty-six designers.

The event drew over five thousand visitors and pumped more than 20 million pounds into the struggling London economy. World media rights alone were worth over 50 million pounds. What about the designers?

Do not worry, they did quite well. In fact, they had their best year ever! Advanced orders for their new lines were in the neighbourhood of 100 million pounds. Canon was once again the primary sponsor of London Fashion week.