The decline of London Fashion Week is becoming increasingly apparent. The British Fashion Council (BFC), the organisation responsible for promoting the growth of British fashion, has announced structural changes to the calendar of the upcoming fashion season. According to a press release, the changes are intended to “expand international presence by offering crucial commercial opportunities and ensuring business growth for designers and brands”. In other words, however, it means that the June edition of London Fashion Week will not take place. Instead, on Thursday 26 June, British fashion will move to Paris with the London Show Rooms — a sort of showcase for British designers. London’s absence effectively reshapes the fashion system, whose centre of gravity is increasingly shifting towards Paris and Milan — while New York continues to struggle.
The decline of London Fashion Week
London Fashion Week officially launched in February 1984. In 2012, it evolved into London Collections: Men, and later, back into London Fashion Week. Always heavily focused on menswear, it has hosted iconic designers such as John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, JW Anderson, and Wales Bonner. In 2020, it faced its first (forced) pause: due to the pandemic, organisers opted for a digital format. By last year, however, LFW had largely lost its big-name draw, becoming primarily a platform for emerging brands.
Shifting dynamics
Now, with its incorporation into Paris Fashion Week, London will benefit from exposure to international buyers. From 26 June to 1 July, the BFC will be in Paris with its London Show Rooms event — still centred on menswear and spotlighting young designers such as Dilara Findikoglu and S.S. Daley. In recent years, many brands have begun merging their menswear and womenswear collections to streamline shows. But this decision further tilts the balance of power in the fashion world. Efforts to revive LFW — such as banning exotic leathers from collections starting in 2025 or prohibiting the use of fur since 2018 — have not been enough. Both moves have been seen by some as more marketing than meaningful change. Now comes the shift to Paris. Is this the start of a (rapid) decline — or merely a pause for reflection?
Photo: BFC
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