The fashion industry is also joining in on the new normal of doing things amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused every physical activity to go digital. Yesterday, the British Fashion Council announced that the annual London Fashion Week: Men will hold as planned from June 12 – 14, but in a digital form that will have all live activities available on londonfashionweek.co.uk.
Caroline Rush, chief executive of BFC disclosed, “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. 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 bucket-loads. It is what British fashion is known for.”
The digital format of LFW:M will now make room for womenswear designers to participate in whatever form they want before the September edition, which will also merge both menswear and womenswear collection. It is however not certain whether the September edition of LFW will also go digital.
The entire makeup of the show will be based on the creativity of the designers and collaborators involved, while having on the side a thorough reflection on introduced ways of branding, marketing, and communication that COVID-19 has brought to the ways of work of the industry.
The BFC as disclosed by Rush is hopeful that lessons learnt through the pandemic will encourage creatives to look at the future and the opportunity to change, collaborate and innovate by close of the virtual fashion week.
“It is essential to look at the future and the opportunity to change, collaborate and innovate. 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,” said Rush.
In early April, Shanghai Fashion Week went digital in a livestream which had designers talk through their collections to viewers. Tokyo also held its fashion week shows the virtual way in March, recording a success story in the end.
By: Larry Adams
