Top designers shun London Fashion Week as it goes virtual
LONDON: London Fashion Week begins on Friday on a virtual format due to a coronavirus lockdown with mainstays like Victoria Beckham shunning the event but others like Burberry embracing the online avatar.
Despite the absence of global celebrities and fashionistas, 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.
Most of the 94 designers participating in the show, which concludes on Tuesday, will broadcast video highlights of their collections showcasing menswear, womenswear or mixed fashions in an event that is now gender-neutral.
On Monday, the British brand Burberry - known for its tailored trenchcoats - will present its menswear Autumn/Winter collection for 2021, designed by Italian creative director Riccardo Tisci.
In September, the brand presented its Spring/Summer 2021 collection in a film set in the middle of a forest and broadcast live on Twitch.
The streaming platform has grown in popularity, broadcasting live video gameplay and offering the possibility of live commentary.
More than 40,000 people watched the innovative show, which could be viewed from different perspectives.
Former Spice Girl and designer Victoria Beckham will present her creations a few days before London Fashion Week.
Her collection, which mixes the seasons, aims to be “optimistic but realistic”, she explained.
The UK suffered more than 118,000 Covid-19 deaths and has been under national lockdown measures since January.
The fashion sector, which employs more than 890,000 people and contributed £35 billion ($48 million) to UK GDP in 2019, has also been hit by Brexit and the end of free movement between the EU and the island nation.