London Fashion Week goes digital and gender neutral for 2020
Updated: Jun 3, 2020
So far 2022 has been a year of seismic change around the world. Global lockdowns have forced more and more people to stay at home and meetings and events which once would have taken place face-to-face have become online forums.
What has been interesting is to see which brands, organisations and events have taken this enforced change and used it as an opportunity to try something new. Many creatives and teachers have taken to creating online events and lessons, while others have removed the barriers to allow new people into their worlds.
The latest to move on this idea is the British Fashion Council, who this morning announced a boundary-breaking new initiative: For the next 12 months, all London Fashion Weeks will be merged into one-week, gender-neutral, online events.
From June 12th – the week which would have been London Fashion Week Men’s – the digital platform www.londonfashionweek.co.uk will be relaunched to provide coverage for trade and consumer audiences, including interviews, meeting points, diaries and, of course, showrooms.
The blending of consumer and trade and the complete integration of a digital fashion week has the potential to make the event more accessible than ever for a global audience which is constantly hungry for new and exciting news and insights to the world of fashion and style.
“It is essential to look at the future and the opportunity to change, collaborate and innovate,” explains British Fashion Council Chief Executive Caroline Rush.
“Many of our businesses have always embraced London Fashion Week as a platform for not just fashion but for its influence on society, identity and culture. 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.”
Traditional London Fashion Week partners, such as British GQ, Lavazza and Toni & Guy will also be joined this year by digital heavyweights such as Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. In doing so, the BFC are integrating with digital players in a what could be a key model for bringing together the physical spectacle and digital experience for the future.
“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,” Rush continues. “Designers will be able to share their stories, and for those that have them, their collections, with a wider global community; we hope that as well as personal perspectives on this difficult time, there will be inspiration in bucketloads. It is what British fashion is known for.”
All images courtesy of the British Fashion Council