For the first time in history, London Fashion Week is going online. Organisers have announced that next month’s showcase with being entirely digital with women’s and menswear merging to create a gender-neutral showcase. The good news? We don’t need to buy a whole new wardrobe. The bad news? We can’t show off our whole new wardrobe.
The event which was meant to take place in June will feature a multimedia collection of interviews, podcasts, and digital showrooms which will be open to the public via www.londonfashionweek.co.uk meaning everyone will be able to view the collections this year, no invite needed. London is the third city to have created a virtual concept, with other cities including Shanghai and Moscow. This comes in the wake of several fashion events being cancelled such as the Met Gala in New York, the LVMH Prize for Young Fashion Designers and Paris, and Milan’s Fashion Weeks due to the current pandemic.
London fashion week and shanghai first Virtual fashion week show
Much like every other industry, this unprecedented time has created a period of reflection and consideration with regards to the future of fashion and its’ sustainability. Fashion mogul Marc Jacobs commented on the number of shows that take place across the year branding them as unnecessary. Speaking to The Guardian, he explained: ‘’the amount of stuff we make and the quantity we make and the amount of time it’s shown is so excessive’’.
Caroline Rush, Chief Executive of the British Council explained how “the current pandemic is leading us all to reflect more poignantly on the society we live in and how we want to live our lives and build businesses when we get through this. The other side of this crisis, we hope will be about sustainability, creativity, and product that you value, respect, cherish.
By creating a cultural fashion week platform, we are adapting digital innovation to best fit our needs today and something to build on as a global showcase for the future.”
Whether you’re a fashionista or a first-timer, there will be something for everyone and the best part? You don’t need to leave your front room OR dash between shows in unbearably comfortable shoes. We reckon they’re onto something here.
Words by Grace Dembowicz
