Karine Laudort Starting today, 17th and running until the 22nd September, London Fashion Week (LFW) will showcase a wide range of international designers. The schedule has been published and the first show started this morning at 10:00am.
Are you a global fashion consumer? You will be pleased to know that even the pandemic cannot stop London Fashion Week to showcase all the collections from world-known brands. For the first time in its 40 years of history, the event will be announced as gender-neutral, discussing current issues facing society. Over 80 designers will showcase their garments through digital events. There is an existing schedule for each event on the London Fashion Week website.
The BFC worked very closely with DCMS to establish guidelines on social distancing to guarantee the safety of both the guests and those working at the physical events. London Fashion Week kicked off today with Burberry, who hosted a livestream.
Brands showing with both a digital and physical presence are Bethany Williams, Bora Aksu, Christopher Kane, David Koma, Edeline Lee, Emilia Wickstead, Emilio de la Morena, ERDEM, Eudon Choi, Fashion East, Halpern, Kaushik Velendra, Mark Fast, Molly Goddard, Osman, Paul Costelloe, PREEN by Thornton Bregazzi, PRONOUNCE, Temperley London, TOGA and Victoria Beckham.
Physical events this season will include a hybrid of appointments, exhibitions, presentations, and socially distanced catwalk shows. Internationally celebrated brands Eudon Choi, Molly Goddard and Victoria Beckham will return to the schedule with salon shows/presentations while brands including Christopher Kane, David Koma, Edeline Lee, Emilia Wickstead, ERDEM, Halpern, Margaret Howell, Paul Costelloe, PREEN by Thornton Bregazzi, ROKSANDA, Sharon Wauchob, Simone Rocha, Supriya Lele, Temperley London and TOGA will present their new collections by invitation-only appointments. Bora Aksu, Mark Fast and PRONOUNCE will be hosting socially distanced catwalk shows.
Bethany Williams, Emilio de la Morena, paria/FARZANEH, Osman, University of Westminster MA Menswear are also planning physical activations on-schedule. Agne Kuzmickaite, Cyberdog X Kappa, Ingrid Kraftchenko and Kaushik Velendra, will activate through physical evening events.
Designers with a digital only presence include 16ARLINGTON, 1×1 Studio, 8ON8, ACCIDENTAL CUTTING, ART SCHOOL, BIANCA SAUNDERS, Burberry, Charlotte Knowles, Choose Love, CONSTANÇA ENTRUDO, DANSHAN, Edward Crutchley, EFTYCHIA, Feng Chen Wang, FYODOR GOLAN, Hill & Friends, Hillier Bartley, Jamie Wei Huang, JORDANLUCA, JW Anderson, KIKIITO, Liam Hodges, Luna Del Pinal, Lupe Gajardo, L.Y.P.H., Marques’ Almeida, MARRKNULL, Matty Bovan, MAXXIJ, Misa Harada, Natasha Zinko x DUOLtd X G-Shock, NAYAL, On|Off Presents…, palmer//harding, Per Götesson, Phoebe English, QASIMI, RÆBURN, Richard Malone, Richard Quinn, RIXO, Robyn Lynch, SONIA CARRASACO, Stephen Jones Millinery, Susan Fang, Typical Freaks, Vinti Andrews, Vivienne Westwood and Xander Zhou.
The audience is expected to be very wide, including industry professionals, fashion buyers, editors, journalists, influencers, PR agents, and VIP’s. Websites and magazines will outline every aspect of the events, keeping the readers informed. The LFW digital platform is the main online source for exclusive multimedia content, regarding all innovative presence.
During these unprecedented times, it is extremely important to stay motivated and inspired. Events like LFW are an example of how to face difficult and unpredictable circumstances in an innovative and effective way. “It is essential to look at the future and the opportunity to change, collaborate and innovate” said Caroline Rush, chief executive of the BFC Get ready to explore new independent designers accessing all virtual content such as short films, interviews, podcasts, digital showrooms and after parties.
Taking, as an example, some future scheduled events on the 18th of September, the Korean-born designer Eudon Choi will be interviewed from his home, getting personal about daily activities and his most memorable moment from LFW. Also, you can join the interview with Oliver Spencer and Richard Biedul together on 19th of September to get familiar with their thoughts regarding the future of the fashion industry. Another curious talk will be showcased digitally on the 21st at 11am. Caroline Rush, Jane Shepherdson, Amy Powney and Diana Verde Nieto will be discussing the impact of the Covid-19 breakdown on the London luxury fashion business.
Many profitable companies are sponsoring the designers community in order to maintain, develop and explore the performance of LFW.
As consumers, we are allowed to engage fully with the creativity of the fashion houses, taking into consideration and giving credit for the success of their accomplishments. Taking part in London’s most iconic fashion event is an honour for the team workers and a result of hard work during the lockdown.
On the Men’s front, British GQ, interviewed Emerging Designer Brand for the British Fashion Council digital platform founded by Danxia Liu and Shan Peng Wong in 2016, were flatmates and were studied at Central St Martins.
Danshan is now an established brand that prides itself on offering clothing which aims to change the way in which men approach getting dressed. “A discussion on masculinity is how Danshan came to be the brand it is today,” explains Dan.
“When we started, streetwear was so dominant, but people received our message well. In 2020, with the whole world crumbling and the dynamic changing, we’ve found that people are even more open-minded. Pop culture icons are more gender fluid, and conversations surrounding LGBTQ+ rights and other movements have created an atmosphere that feels like it’s time for menswear to finally evolve.’’ Danshan
Source: British GQ interview by Zak Maui
Alongside existing Official Partners of London Fashion Week, British GQ, Evening Standard, JD.COM, INC, JOOR, LAVAZZA, Mercedes-Benz and TONI&GUY, BFC welcomes two new Official Partners this season, FASHION ZOO and IBM. Partnering to grow the LFW Digital Platform through new innovations, as well as supporting new designers with their own digital roadmap and business strategy during these challenging times, IBM is supporting in optimising the digital London Fashion Week experience, enabling designers to showcase their stories through multimedia content and ensuring an engaging user experience for the global fashion audience.
On the Tech front, the BFC also announced their partnership with IBM this season, as an Official Partner for LFW to push the boundaries of fashion and technology. IBM are really passionate about the future of fashion and retail to help businesses in the fashion community transform to meet ever-increasing and evolving customer expectations. IBM have created some of the most innovative and well-received digital events in the world – including Wimbledon, the Grammy’s, and the US Open to name a few.
The technological era is establishing a massive community of online viewers who can experience a new way of being in touch. Staying present, while apart, is allowing the general public to visualise all the events by one click on the screen of an electronic device. Feeling present was never so easy. All the fashion shows will be accessible to most people from the industry, the majority will be online, but presentations with social distancing applied will also take place (as opposed to catwalks due to COVID-19 health and safety restrictions).
For a second season, interactive shoppable video tagging software Smartzer will provide clickable videos on the London Fashion Week highlights films. BFC is also delighted to announce Vocast as the Official Press Portal provider for LFW. For the first time, Vocast will host the LFW image bank, press releases and films, available to industry behind a login wall on the British Fashion Council and London Fashion Week websites.
About British Fashion Council
The British Fashion Council (BFC) was set up in 1983 to promote British fashion internationally and co-ordinate this promotion through fashion weeks, exhibitions and showcasing events. The BFC supports designers beginning at college level and extending to talent identification, business support and showcasing schemes. The BFC promotes British fashion and its influential role at home and abroad, helping British designer businesses develop their profiles and business globally.
The BFC Foundation (Registered Charity Number: 11852152) was created for charitable purposes and grant giving; attracting, developing, and retaining talent through education and business mentoring. The BFC Colleges Council offers support to students through BA and MA scholarships and links with industry through design competitions and Graduate Preview Day.
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