The next season of London Fashion Week will take place from June 12 to June 14.
Following the pattern of recent seasons, the new round of shows will be a mix of womenswear and menswear presentations, listed as being "digital first", meaning that the majority of designers will offer pre-recorded short films instead of live shows.
While a full provisional line-up has yet to be released, LFW has teased a few high-profile names to look forward to, including womenswear from Preen by Thornton Bregazzi and Marques Almeida, as well as a menswear collection from Ahluwalia, and a co-ed show by Qasimi, founded by Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Qasimi and now headed by his sister, Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi.
Another name on the schedule is Bethany Williams, with her androgynous pieces made from leftover scraps of fabric. Conjuring colourful coats out of blocks of tartan and bags out of children's lunchboxes, hers will be a presentation worth watching.
In addition to the digital presentations, LFW has announced that there will be “a number of Covid-secure physical activations happening in London in line with government guidelines”. Although no further details have been given at this stage, the inclusion of a live audience at some events reflects the ongoing British relaxation of restrictions put in place to combat the pandemic.
LFW was the first of the four major fashion weeks to go solely digital, in response to Covid-19, and may be the first to return to staging live shows. New York will include an audience but only from its September 2021 shows onwards, while in Paris, the spring 2021 Chanel haute couture show unfolded in front of a handful of guests (think Vanessa Paradis and Penelope Cruz).
Of the upcoming shows in London, LFW tweeted that the event will be a celebration of “environment, people and community and craftsmanship” that both acknowledges fashion’s carbon footprint and highlights the brands pulling their weight on the issue, as well as showing the fragile structure of small-name designers and the impact that the past year will have had on them.
