The 'handover' performance marked the point when the next Games were officially passed on to London for 2012. Starring in the show was British singer and songwriter Leona Lewis, alongside dancers and performers from the Royal Ballet, Zoo Nation and Candoco.

As Martin Green, Head of Ceremonies at LOCOG explained: "London is one of the fashion centres of the world and our fashion colleges lead the way in nurturing, inspiring and producing the next generation of designers. London College of Fashion was an obvious choice for us when considering costuming the show. It was a chance to showcase their talent and also provide the opportunity for students to design and produce designs for the biggest event in the world."

Leona appeared on stage on an elevating podium, her dress cascading down below her as she rose into the air. As she descended back onto the stage the dress separated to reveal a smaller, condensed version of the outfit to allow movement on stage. The technical requirements of the dress, which the students had to incorporate, included the integration of a safety harness and quick-release mechanism.

Venus Chen (BA Fashion Design and Technology: Womenswear) one of the three designers of the dress, commented: "It has been a really fantastic opportunity for me to be involved in this project. It has opened a whole new world of fashion design, which I had never considered before. I was overwhelmed initially working with Leona Lewis as she is such an amazing star, but she was lovely and down to earth and very easy to work with. I have enjoyed every single moment in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

As well as designing Leona's dress, other team members designed outfits to reflect and celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of London life, demonstrating that the capital is the centre of cutting-edge fashion and design in the UK.