London Fashion Week to be digital, no live audiences allowed

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jan 13, 2021

​England may be in lockdown at the moment, but London Fashion Week will go ahead next month, although there will be no live audiences allowed and the week (actually five days) will be fully digital. 

The British fashion Council said on Wednesday that it has been “discussing with Government the appropriate way forward with regards to London Fashion Week considering the current backdrop to a public health emergency”.

The result of those talks is that the event will run from February 19 until February 23. “Shows, presentations and installations can be filmed and photographed but should not take place with an invited audience,” the BFC said.

UK Covid guidance means that filming and shoots can continue for now under secure guidelines.

The event’s home will be www.londonfashionweek.com, which will include all designers showcasing new content and selling new collections with the digital content “accessible to everyone throughout the year”.

The BFC has been engaging with the authorities not only about LFW but about allowing the creative fashion sector to continue functioning more widely.

BFC Chief Executive Caroline Rush, said of all this: “The BFC continues to ask Government to engage in support of the fashion industry. One of the main active requests is to allow key creative and model talent to travel to and from the UK with a phased introduction of quarantine exemptions for the fashion industry, in order to carry out essential business, to protect the competitiveness of the British fashion industry.

“This further lockdown is incredibly challenging for businesses, freelancers and individuals. Our industry is one of amazing creativity and this is more true in the UK than any other country. The majority of businesses and individuals we work with are independent businesses and creatives who contribute significantly to the cultural and creative reputation of our country. 

“We will continue to push for support and champion our extraordinary businesses to global audiences. Despite all the challenges the last few years have brought, I truly believe that the creativity, agility and business savvy of our sector will prevail and the societal conscious of our British businesses and fashion workforce will see us re-calibrate to not only be strong creatively but strong sustainably too.”