London Fashion Week’s 40th Anniversary Celebrates Culture

The British Fashion Council (BFC) have announced the programme for London Fashion Week June, presented by 1664 Blanc, and it’s jam-packed with events hoping to ignite a celebration of the cultures that make up London. The event will provide British designers and brands with a platform to share and focus on different forms of menswear businesses in the UK. It will take place from Friday 7^th to Sunday 9^th June 2024, with events spanning across the three days aiming to draw attention to the cultural dynamics that exist within London and celebrate LFW June’s 40^th anniversary of operation.

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BFC Chief Executive, Caroline Rush, shares her thoughts on LFW40: “As we continue our celebrations of LFW40, we are thrilled to share a new concept for LFW June which will amplify our designers and promote the diverse menswear businesses, from streetwear to Savile Row, as well as retail in the city. We will celebrate and pay homage to some of the cultures which contribute so much to the UK fashion industry, the aim is to build on this with different cultures each year.“

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She goes on to say “The new format is a direct result of the conversations we are continuously having with the BFC community (designers, media, UK, and international retailers). We want to ensure we are recognising the business needs of our designers and providing them with a global showcasing platform which is both relevant and beneficial. This iteration of LFW is a really exciting opportunity to future proof and innovate the UK’s fashion showcasing capabilities and highlight the city’s point of difference during Men’s fashion month.” 

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On the first day, 7^th June, the BFC will take over the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) with a triple-threat of guest curators aimed to create a cultural programme of events that will celebrate three of the cultures that have made a rich and significant contribution to the British fashion industry. LFW40 will be centred around and informed by three cultures this year: Black culture concentrating on self-love; South Asian culture focusing on pattern, textile, and craftsmanship; and queer culture spotlighting young creative voices from the trans community. British brands and designers will aim to tell the stories of the communities within these cultures, with LFW40 providing a platform for the members of those communities to tell personal stories and give perspectives on what their culture means to them.

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The programme of curated cultural events will consist of a myriad of activities including three events by special guest curators:

• Afternoon “T” – “You make this place beautiful” hosted by poet, model, consultant, and visibility activist Kai-Isaiah Jamal
• Conversations: A dinner celebrating South Asian impact on British fashion hosted by writer and creative, Simran Randhawa
• Sound & Harmony: Spotlighting Black artists hosted by award winning radio and television broadcaster, Clara Amfo. 
• All photographed and exhibited by photographers Dani D’Ingeo, Stephen Akinyemi, and Tami Aftab 

As well as a celebration of culture, the weekend also marks the 40^th anniversary of LFW June. The BFC will celebrate the breadth of British menswear with a ’40 for 40’ programme in honour of LFW40. This programme will include a bill of 40 activations hosted by British brands and designers across London. From Savile Row to sportswear, the event will consist of catwalk shows, presentations, and events that will provide designers and their brands with a powerful activation space allowing them to showcase their talents in menswear creation. 

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The ’40 for 40’ programme will include:

• Designers scheduled include LOVERBOY, denzilpatrick, Charles Jeffrey, HARRI, and QASIMI.
• The announcement of the winner of the BFC/GQ Designer Fashion Fund 
• Intro to Savile Row with clothsurgeon, Gieves & Hawkes, Richard James, The Deck and more
• Run Clubs with LABRUM Run Club Powered by Adidas and 247 by Represent
• Designer showcase at the Groucho Club with CARLOTA BARRERA, denzilpatrick, DERRICK, HARRI, KYLE HO, LUEDER, Paolo Carzana, and ROKER

On Saturday 8^th June, the BFC will open up to give us ‘Consumer Day.’ This will open LFW to a consumer audience, inviting guests to observe the cultural programmes at the ICA. In addition, 1664 Blanc will host an activation titled ‘Explorations in Blue’ which entails four exclusive panels discussing key issues that face the industry with experts including Charles Jeffrey, Munroe Bergdorf, and Rejina Pyo. Tickets can be found here.

_{Written By Bethan Gwynne}