Designers from all over the world have arrived in London for the start of Fashion Week.

With almost 60 catwalk shows and presentations due to take place over the next five days, organisers have never put on a bigger display.

Among the big names preparing to unveil their new collections are Paul Smith, John Rocha, Ben De Lisi and Frost French.

But many others, including Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney and Matthew Williamson will all be missing, leaving critics to ask whether London is still as fashionable as it would like to think it is.

Supermodels

Venues lined up for the event include theatres, Lord's cricket ground, Billingsgate fish market, a swimming pool, railway arches, and a car park.

Many supermodels are expected to stay away

A London Designers Exhibition will take place alongside the main event, selling ready-to-wear clothes and accessories to fashion lovers.

But with big names in short supply among a plethora of smaller designers, it has been suggested that good venues will not be enough to make the event a success.

And it is not just the big designers who are looking elsewhere, as many supermodels are expected to concentrate on preparing for next week's New York shows instead.

New talent

Commenting on the lack of big names Matthew Williamson said: "There is a pattern to British fashion. When a designer gets to a certain level of success, he or she moves their show out of London.

People love coming to London because there is an element of surprise

Nicholas Coleridge

"All my peers like Stella McCartney, McQueen, Hussein Chalayan, anyone who reaches a certain level does actually leave."

Williamson, whose customers include Gwyneth Paltrow and Kate Moss, said many are bought out by bigger companies, while other designers move on to find greater success.

Ben De Lisi, whose customers include Kate Winslet, said the British Fashion Council had a worrying habit of pushing forward new talent with no experience of running a business.

He said: "These young designers are straight out of school and can barely price clothes let along manufacture a line.

"They can't deliver on time, there are problems with quality and that ends up reflecting on the whole industry."

'Surprise'

Nicholas Coleridge, chairman of the British Fashion Council, denied there was any danger that London Fashion Week was on the way out.

He said: "People love coming to London because there is an element of surprise.

"Other fashion centres might have more commercial muscle but London is very good at finding new talent."

There are two London Fashion Weeks in a year, the first of which was in February to show the 2002 autumn and winter collections.