White City is fast becoming an international fashion hotspot.

Hong Kong fashion giant Global Brands Group will leave its current offices in Marylebone and move its European HQ to the WestWorks building in Wood Lane.

The international company works for some of the world’s biggest fashion labels such as Calvin Klein and manages the brands of celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and David Beckham.

It will join Yoox-Net-A-Porter and Ralph & Russo in one of London’s most exciting new neighbourhoods.

“The arrival of Global Brands Group will further boost the emerging fashion quarter in White City,” said Cllr Andrew Jones, H&F Cabinet Member for the Economy and the Arts. “We want to harness the power of local government to bring people together and achieve economic growth for everyone.”

The latest fashion big-hitter to move into the borough is a result of the council’s Industrial Strategy (pdf 2.6MB) which aims to make H&F the best place to live, work and play in Europe.

Setting trends

Global Brands Group will be moving from their current location in Woolworth House on Marylebone Road to the WestWorks site in White City Place by the end of the year.

Its sister company, Li & Fung, will also be moving into the same space on the fifth floor of the building.

“Global Brands Group and Li & Fung will be a great addition to the fantastic mix of companies already based at White City Place. They will help cement White City’s position as a leading global business district for world class companies,” said David Camp, Chief Executive of Stanhope - one of the companies behind the WestWorks development.

Other tenants in the WestWorks include ITV Studios who have 350 staff located on-site, pioneering tech firm Attention Seekers, Arts Alliance Media and the global pharmaceutical company Novartis.

More new neighbours

Down the road, Saab have opened a new UK Innovation Hub at Imperial College London’s White City Campus in Wood Lane.

The defence and security expert have invested £3.5m into the new facility at Central Working in the I-HUB building.

Saab will be working with Imperial’s Institute of Security Science and Technology (ISST). They will initially be looking into improvements for radar technology.

They have joined aerospace giant Airbus, and the UK Government’s Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA), which also have offices on the White City campus. 

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