One of the prestigious fashion events, the London Fashion Week’s 2021 edition launched last day in a completely digital format, with designers hoping to attract trend-followers from the comfort of their homes with their latest creations.
With the UK under a national lockdown since January, the usual bustling catwalk presentations of the fashion week were replaced by streaming videos. Despite the absence of global celebrities and fashion enthusiasts, designers such as Turkey’s Bora Aksu, Britain’s Molly Goddard and Ireland’s Simone Rocha will stream their collections on the London Fashion Week website.
Nearly 100 womenswear and menswear brands will broadcast video highlights of their collections over the next few days, having to adapt how they present their clothes amid the pandemic.
“It is really difficult for everybody at the moment but particularly in the fashion industry. Fashion Week offers this glimmer of inspiration, uplifting, connecting with creativity and thinking about the impact of fashion has on society and culture. And we need it,” Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council stated.
Turkish designer Bora Aksu stated that he was inspired by 19th-century French mathematician Sophie Germain, who he said felt her own isolation when she was discriminated against because of her gender but thrived.
Models walked down an empty Tate Britain museum in tailored suits, boxed cashmere coats and lace tiered dresses. Aksu layered voluminous tulle shirts and skirts and put lace capes on coats, using a color palette of pink, black, navy, teal, red and yellow.
Last year, the fashion sector was hit hard due to the shutting of stores, studios and factories as well as travel controls driven by the pandemic. In Britain, high street giants Debenhams and Arcadia collapsed with online fashion retailers Boohoo and ASOS last month setting their sights on their brands.
Brexit has also severely impacted the sector. Earlier this month, hundreds of British fashion industry figures signed an open letter to the government alerting the industry, which contributes $49 billion to the economy, was “at risk of decimation by the Brexit trade deal” due to new travel rules and paperwork.
While London might not have as many big brand names as fellow fashion capitals New York, Milan and Paris, it has long been known as a hub of creativity and young talent.
Among the brands showing this fashion week are Burberry, Molly Goddard and Mark Fast. The former Spice Girl and designer Victoria Beckham last week shared a lookbook for her “optimistic but realistic” line, presenting military-inspired coats as well as colorful or printed jersey and georgette dresses.
