The event, organised by Haymarket Exhibitions, was launched as BBC’s Clothes Show in 1986 with the first live show debuted at London Olympia three years later.
Since then the show has grown from filling one exhibition hall and welcoming 40,000 visitors, to this year’s event opening today (6 December) at Birmingham’s NEC, which will occupy eight halls and attract more than 120,000 attendees.
The celebratory chocolate sculpture created by the Brighton-based chocolatier consists of a three-tiered chocolate cake with a hand-sculpted solid white chocolate structure. It was inspired by Rhodes’ iconic portrait illustration and signature ‘squiggles’. It will be presented by fashion expert Caryn Franklin to Gavin Brown, managing director of Haymarket Exhibitions.
Brown said: "When we started out, we wanted to create an event that would inspire and educate. This year Clothes Show Live is celebrating a significant milestone. Very few organisers can say that they have reached 25 years and are still successful.
"All we’ve ever wanted and strived for is for people to walk out of the show with a smile on their face, saying that they’ve had a great day and have got something out of it."
This year's five-day show, running until 10 December, will feature a host of new content including the hosted by the show's presenter Paddy McGuinness.
Clothes Show Live is also launching the Fashion Blogger of the Year Award, in association with digital media entrepreneur and fashion writer Sasha Wilkins of LibertyLondonGirl.com, to find the next big name in UK fashion blogging.
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