Bath in Fashion 2015 (21-29 March) announces star studded line-up

Bath has long since been a fashionable destination, a place to see and be seen. In 2015 the city continues to flex its stylish credentials and attract the international fashion pack who are lined up to share their style secrets and make this year’s Bath In Fashion event another jam-packed affair. Tickets go on sale from 2nd February.

Now in it's sixth year, the latest programme for Bath in Fashion 2015 (21st-29th March) showcases an eclectic mix of celebrated designers, influential editors, opinionated fashion writers and style pundits alongside behind-the-scenes creatives who will discuss and debate, celebrate and champion the ever-changing, all-encompassing world of fashion. Bath In Fashion 2015 welcomes a host of front row guests that will include acclaimed New York designer Anna Sui, designer Roksanda Ilincic and Holly Fulton, renowned Style.com fashion critic Tim Blanks, super-blogger Susie Lau and London Fashion Week's latest catwalk sensation, Ed Marler.

Bath in Fashion 2015 offers a host of un-missable talks, catwalk shows, hands-on knitting and jewellery workshops, fashion films, a vintage fashion fair, historic exhibitions and a community charity crochet project in aid of Kids Company.

Bath in Fashion’s Chair, Sarah Mansfield, Director of Milson Place, said, ‘Bath is one of the most stylish and elegant cities in Europe. The festival builds on this, bringing together designers, commentators, makers and doers from the world of fashion to our World Heritage City. Always stimulating, innovative and diverse, Bath in Fashion is inspiring and fun.

The Bath In Fashion 2015 Programme includes:

*Celebrated American fashion designer Anna Sui in conversation. Sui, who emerged on the downtown New York fashion scene in the 1980s alongside best friends Marc Jacobs and Steven Meisel, will talk about her love of fashion, the Brits (from Arts and Craft designer William Morris to the Rock'n'Roll lifestyle of the Rolling Stones), and her A-list clientele that includes Naomi Campbell, Courtney Love and Sofia Coppola. Anna is a Bath enthusiast and seeks inspiration from the Fashion Museum’s extraordinary archive.

*Fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic in conversation with The Sunday Times Fashion Editor Claudia Croft. Ilincic's enigmatic catwalk shows remain a must-see highlight on the London Fashion Week schedule. Renowned for her seductive use of bold colour and couture-style architectural shapes, the designer has garnered an enthusiastic clientele that includes HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, Samantha Cameron and Michelle Obama. She opened her first store on London’s Mount Street to much acclaim last year. Claudia Croft says ‘As regional fashion week events go, Bath is in a league of its own.’

*World famous blogger Susie Lau of Style Bubble, in conversation with Lulu Kennedy and her latest Fashion East protégé and London Fashion Week sensation, Ed Marler. Fashion East is a not-for-profit organisation, helmed by Kennedy for the past 15 years, dedicated to nurturing new fashion talent. It has launched the careers of designers including Gareth Pugh, Jonathan Saunders, Roksanda Ilincic, JW Anderson and Craig Green. Kennedy received an MBE in 2012 for services to the fashion industry. Central St Martin’s graduate Marler is the latest designer to be supported by this initiative.

* Susannah Frankel, Fashion Director of Grazia and Tim Blanks editor-at-large for Style.com will discuss the V&A’s hugely anticipated exhibition, ‘Savage Beauty; Alexander McQueen’ and the work of this visionary designer.

*Jessica Bumpus, Fashion Features Editor of Vogue.co.uk will be in conversation with British Fashion Award- winning designer Holly Fulton, whose eye catching, graphic designs and innovative use of textiles have made her a distinctive voice of London Fashion Week.

*Lou Stoppard, Editor of Show Studio meets Bath-based fashion writer Iain R Webb to discuss his personal treasure trove archive of fashion paraphernalia showcased in his new book, ‘Invitation Strictly Personal.’ The book presents a unique collection of 300 fashion show invitations from all four fashion capitals, collected from his time covering the international collections.

*World renowned tattoo artist, Mo Coppoletta, who has designed fabrics for Liberty as well as inking Paloma Faith, will tell his incredible story of taking this 21st century art form to new heights – surely the ultimate form of embellishment.

*Hear from Vogue-proclaimed King of Vintage William Banks Blaney, who will present his book of 25 dresses reflecting the history of 20th century fashion and Nicky Albrechtsen will discuss her book, Vintage Fashion Complete, the most ambitious and comprehensive guide to vintage fashion ever produced. Renowned designer, Thea Porter is the subject of London’s Fashion and Textiles Museum’s spring exhibition. Her daughter, Venetia Porter will lead a talk about her mother’s work which epitomized seventies bohemian chic, showcased in the new V&A book which she has co-edited with Laura McClaws Helm.

Bath in Fashion 2015 is delighted to announce that the newly restored Jolly’s, one of Europe’s oldest department stores, as the main sponsor for the week-long event in 2015. The current custodians of this shrine to retail heritage, House of Fraser, have recently completed a multi-million pound renovation, restoring Jolly’s to its former glory.

Jaeger is also supporting Bath in Fashion with a series of ‘in conversation’ Jaeger talks, including their own Creative Director, Sheila McCane Wade, who will showcase the cherished brand’s creative vision and position at the core of British fashion heritage, and its role in the resurgence of British manufacturing.

Bath in Fashion is managed and funded by the Bath BID partnership with Bath Tourism Plus and created as a collaboration by Bath businesses to put the city in the fashion spotlight. New for 2015, The Fashion Trail maps participating retailers of Bath’s fashion and accessory scene, while Bath Life Fashion’s Night Out and other shopping events will light up the streets of Bath.

Bath has been in fashion since its Georgian heyday, when it was a magnet for fashionable society; today Bath maintains a reputation for fashion and style, one of the UK’s favourite places for spa and retail therapy, with its world-renowned Fashion Museum; Bath Spa University’s award winning fashion design course; and its thriving retail sector where independent boutiques offering luxury and niche designer labels flourish alongside key high street brands.

Tickets for Bath in Fashion 2015 are now on sale; please visit bathinfashion.co.uk.