London Fashion Week champions washable designs

Designer, Giles Deacon with his washable fashion wear.

His two new designs, made of cutting-edge, futuristic fabrics, intend to dispel the myth that washable clothes and fashionable designs are mutually exclusive. The two new dresses, which sit within Giles' autumn/winter 2014 collection, follow the 'Giles and P&G: A Shared Passion for the Beauty & Care of Clothes on & off the Runway'.

As global fashion consultant for P&G Fabric Care - whose global brands include Ariel, Tide, Dash, Downy and Lenor, Deacon was brought on-board last autumn to guide the company's new fashion-focused approach, sharing his expertise and industry insights as part of the P&G Future Fabrics initiative. His role is helping to inform the company's commitment to designing sophisticated fibre care technologies that respond to new and evolving fabric compositions.

Together, they plan to drive the fashion industry to reconsider its use of machine-washable fabrics and ultimately fulfil the increasing demand among consumers for designer garments that can be easily cared for at home.

"My role is to challenge the pre-conceived ideas of what can be put inside a washing machine and that means creating designs using futuristic fabrics which can take centre-stage on the runway and be cared for once they are inside the wardrobe," says Deacon.

"Following the reaction to the original seven-dress collection presented in Milan, we knew we had to make more washable fashion commercially available. That, combined with the potential that is coming from fabric manufacturers and the new fabric technologies in Ariel and Lenor that the company is developing is why you see these new dresses within my AW14 collection."

Bringing fibre science knowledge to fashion industry

"Just like the fashion and fabrics industry, we understand the important role of clothing in people's lives; a lifecycle that starts on the catwalk, through to a designer's client and into their customer's closet," says P&G Fabric Care's European VP, Mohamed Samir. "Our new fashion-focused business strategy is helping us to innovate and enhance our laundry products so they progress with the changing fashion and fabric trends, and help make fashion more accessible and easier to care for at home."

"Today is just one step in our journey to show consumers and the fashion and fabric industry what we can do. Our unique approach to understanding how to care for clothes is informed by the company's 3-Step fibre science approach; to clean, protect and enhance clothes in the washing process, enabling people to care for and unleash the beauty of their clothes.

Find out more at www.pgfuturefabrics.com or Twitter @pgfuturefabrics; #washablefashion