Writed by Ziad KHAN
Under the pandemic’s extinguishable haze, an unforeseen silver lining appears this season—virtual shows puts nature first for a more sustainable fashion week
London Fashion Week kicked off on Thursday with a live-streamed show from Burberry but without the hordes of industry insiders, A-listers and journalists who usually flock to it from around the world.
The twice-annual event is “adapting to a new reality” due to the coronavirus pandemic, organisers said, with a “digital first” approach complemented by a handful of live events.
Around 80 designers are presenting their latest collections during the six days of showings, some in catwalk presentations but most via videos posted on the Fashion Week’s official website.
“These presentations and shows are at a much smaller scale,” Stephanie Phair, head of the British Fashion Council (BFC), told AFP, noting they would be “limited mostly to editors, buyers and people commenting”.
“It is also an opportunity… for designers to really have a more personal connection with the editors and the buyers and actually talk through their collections,” she added.
Among the designers holding public parades — with specially crafted social distancing guidelines in place — are London-based Turkish creator Bora Aksu, luxury knitwear pioneer Mark Fast and the Chinese brand PRONOUNCE.