John Lewis pins hopes on men's fashion and London as perfect fit - The Guardian

Forget "never knowingly undersold" – this weekend John Lewis will be hoping to earn a rather more fabulous tagline.

The department store is making its catwalk debut at London Collections: Men, a four-day showcase of men's fashion.

On Saturday evening 16 male models led by Johnny Harrington, the bearded face of the department store, will provide the backdrop to a swish cocktail party as they walk on treadmills wearing next summer's looks from in-house label John Lewis & Co.

The fashion week debut is a bold move to boost the store's fashion reputation on the back of what it describes as "soaring" menswear sales. A spokesperson for John Lewis said the show "marks an important milestone in the department store's bid to becoming the high street's biggest menswear player".

The presence of the high-street heavyweight shows that the success of the menswear event, still in its infancy, has attracted the attention of the industry's biggest players who realise there is serious money to be made at the higher end of the market.

John Lewis is not the only high-street brand hoping to cut it alongside fashion's biggest players. Marks & Spencer is also making its debut at the shows. It will present a capsule Best of British collection which highlights British fabrics and manufacture. Tony O'Connor, head of design at M&S, said it was "a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate our involvement with the British Fashion Council" and noted it was keen to "share the optimism prevalent in British menswear today". Both high-street brands follow Topman, which has been an integral part of the London menswear scene for many seasons. It sponsored menswear catwalk shows when they were merely a daylong afterthought at London fashion week.

Despite being only one year old, LC:M is booming. A total of 134 designers will participate in shows, presentations and special events over the next few days. The BFC, which organises the event, is keen to stress that all figures show an increase from last January's collections, and that press and buyer attendance has also swollen.

The rapid success of LC:M has Milan fashion week rattled. The event has lured international labels keen to share in London's glory. Milanese powerhouse Dolce & Gabbana is making an impact on the schedule on Saturday evening when it will present its summer tailoring collection in the brand's new store. However, the move is only a partial commitment as D&G will show its main collection in its home city later in the month.

Robert Johnston, associate editor at GQ magazine, believes the atmosphere in London menswear is far more upbeat than in Milan and Paris at the moment. He said: "The menswear shows feel so alive and positive in a way the other fashion capitals don't at the moment." But he disagrees that international labels are piggybacking the event. "Domenico Dolce is from a tailoring background and understands the great craftsmanship and great tailoring heritage of Savile Row. So it's a great fit," he said.

Burberry, the British brand which has historically shown its menswear collection in Milan, will stage a huge homecoming catwalk event on Tuesday. Alexander McQueen – showing on Monday afternoon – shoe label Jimmy Choo and international brand Rag & Bone are also part of London's line-up. Other hotly tipped brands such as Christopher Shannon, Christopher Kane and JW Anderson are also on the schedule.

Giorgio Armani has separately announced that during Milan fashion week it will host the collections of a series of young Italian designers at its headquarters in an effort to develop young talent. The veteran designer recently said "We need concrete actions to support Italian fashion, initiatives that give more strength and a feeling of novelty to Milan's fashion week."

The move has prompted some commentators to suggest the Italians might be feeling overshadowed by the current buzz around British menswear.

Johnston suggested Milan is taking a "leaf from London's book" but dismissed the idea of a major rivalry. "Everyone likes a feud, " he said, " but in reality the individual designers I have spoken to are thrilled for London. But perhaps the Camera Moda [the body which organises Milan fashion week] will be watching London Collections with a keen interest."